Highest Individual Innings Scores in Cricket History

Cricket's individual batting records represent the absolute ceiling of what a single player can achieve in one innings. These are not merely large scores — they are extraordinary feats of concentration, physical endurance, and batting skill sustained across hours or even days. The highest individual scores in cricket history have mostly been set under conditions that aligned perfectly: flat pitches, weak bowling attacks, and a batter who entered a state of complete control. Understanding these records also reveals how the game has evolved: the Test record has stood since 2004, while ODI records have been broken repeatedly as batting techniques and conditions have developed.

Brian Lara's 400 Not Out — The Test Record

Brian Lara of the West Indies holds the highest individual innings score in Test cricket: 400 not out against England at the Antigua Recreation Ground in April 2004. Lara batted for 778 minutes (nearly 13 hours) and faced 582 balls. He hit 43 fours and 4 sixes in an innings that saw West Indies declare at 751 for 5. The innings was also notable because Lara had previously held the record with 375 against England in 1994, lost it when Matthew Hayden scored 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003, and then reclaimed it almost exactly a decade after his first record. No batter has come close to 400 since — the next highest is Lara's own 375 — and the combination of exceptional pitch conditions required and modern scheduling makes the record an extraordinary target.

ODI Batting Records: Rohit Sharma's 264

Rohit Sharma of India holds the highest individual innings score in One-Day International cricket: 264 against Sri Lanka in Kolkata in November 2014. He batted for 173 balls and hit 33 fours and 9 sixes. Remarkably, Rohit also holds the second-highest ODI score (209 against Australia in 2013) and the third-highest (208 not out against Sri Lanka in 2017), making him the only batter in history to have scored three ODI double centuries. Rohit's ODI record-breaking ability came partly from his late-career move to opener, where he could bat the full 50 overs when set. Martin Guptill (237 not out for New Zealand against the West Indies in a 2015 World Cup quarter-final) holds second place.

T20 International Individual Records

T20 International cricket has produced remarkably high individual scores given the format's short duration. The record stands to Hazratullah Zazai of Afghanistan who scored 162 not out off 62 balls against Ireland in Dehradun in February 2019. His innings included 11 sixes and 16 fours and remains exceptional even by T20 standards. Before Zazai, the record had been held by Aaron Finch of Australia (172 against Zimbabwe in 2018 — since superseded by Zazai). In domestic T20 cricket, scores above 170 have become more common as franchise leagues drive batting techniques forward, but in international cricket the 162 mark still stands as a remarkable achievement given the quality of opposition bowlers in T20 Internationals.

First-Class Cricket and the 501 Not Out

The highest score in any form of cricket — including first-class matches — is Brian Lara's 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham in a County Championship match at Edgbaston in June 1994. Lara batted for 474 balls and 7 hours 54 minutes, hitting 62 fours and 10 sixes. The innings was made in a county match without Test-match conditions but it demonstrated the extraordinary range of Lara's batting ability. Hanif Mohammad of Pakistan previously held the first-class record with 499 (scoring 499 against Bahawalpur in 1959 before running out his partner on the final ball attempting to complete 500), and the record exchange between Lara and Hanif is one of cricket history's most remarkable statistical stories.