Highest Individual Test Scores: Brian Lara's 400*, Matthew Hayden's 380, and the Greatest Innings
The highest individual Test innings is Brian Lara's 400* for West Indies vs England at St John's, Antigua in April 2004. He also holds the previous record of 375 (1994). Matthew Hayden scored 380 for Australia vs Zimbabwe in Perth in 2003. Don Bradman scored 334 for Australia vs England at Headingley in 1930. The top five highest individual Test scores include three batsmen (Lara × 2, Hayden, Bradman, Hanif Mohammad) from five different decades.
The world record for the highest individual Test innings has changed hands multiple times since Test cricket began in 1877. The record has been held by figures from seven different nations across 14 different occasions. The current holder is Brian Lara, who scored 400* for West Indies vs England in 2004.
The Top Scores
- 400* — Brian Lara (WI vs ENG, St John's Antigua, 2004) — current world record
- 380 — Matthew Hayden (AUS vs ZIM, Perth, 2003)
- 375 — Brian Lara (WI vs ENG, St John's Antigua, 1994) — Lara's own first record
- 374 — Mahela Jayawardene (SL vs SA, Colombo SSC, 2006)
- 365* — Garfield Sobers (WI vs PAK, Kingston Jamaica, 1958) — held the record 36 years
- 337 — Hanif Mohammad (PAK vs WI, Bridgetown Barbados, 1958)
- 336* — WR Hammond (ENG vs NZ, Auckland, 1933)
- 334 — Don Bradman (AUS vs ENG, Headingley, 1930)
- 333 — Chris Gayle (WI vs SL, Galle, 2010)
- 325 — Andrew Sandham (ENG vs WI, Kingston Jamaica, 1930)
Bradman's 334
Don Bradman's 334 at Headingley in 1930 came in just his third Test. He batted for 383 minutes, scored at 88 runs per hour, and was scoring in a session at a rate that left spectators and journalists convinced they were witnessing something extraordinary. The innings broke Tip Foster's previous record of 287 (ENG vs AUS, Sydney, 1903). Bradman's 334 stood as the Australian Test record until Hayden's 380 in 2003.
Frequently asked questions
What are the highest team totals in Test cricket, and which match produced the highest combined score in Test history?
Highest team totals and combined scores in Test cricket. The highest team total in Test cricket is 952/6 declared — Sri Lanka vs India at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, in August 1997. Sanath Jayasuriya scored 340 and Roshan Mahanama scored 225 in a partnership of 576 — still the record for the highest partnership for any wicket in all cricket (first-class included). Sri Lanka batted for 2 days. The match ended in a draw (India survived with 8 wickets in hand in the second innings). Other highest team totals: 903/7 dec — England vs Australia, The Oval, 1938 (Len Hutton scored 364). 849 — England vs West Indies, Kingston Jamaica, 1930. 790/3 dec — West Indies vs Pakistan, Kingston Jamaica, 1957. 760/6 dec — New Zealand vs Zimbabwe, Bulawayo, 2005 (Stephen Fleming 116, Craig McMillan 115, Nathan Astle 107). 758/8 dec — Australia vs West Indies, Kingston Jamaica, 1955. The highest combined score in a single Test: Pakistan vs India, Faisalabad, 1984 — both teams scored 500+ in their first innings; the match was drawn after 5 days without a result. The closest equivalent is the 2003–04 Calcutta Test: South Africa vs India — a high-scoring draw both teams finished well past 450. The Test with the most total runs: England vs Australia (1948 Ashes, Headingley, 5 days, 1,723 total runs across both innings of both teams). Notable: the 952/6 Sri Lanka record was scored before DRS and on a flat SSC pitch historically known for high scores; it is unlikely to be broken on modern pitches where groundsmen are expected to produce result-oriented pitches.