This article lists the most marathon individual performances in Test cricket, focusing on the players who remained at the crease for the longest period.
List of longest individual Test innings by time
| player | minutes batting | runs (balls) | 4s/6s | against | venue | date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanif Mohammad (PAK) | 970 | 337 (NA) | 24/0 | west indies | bridgetown | 17 January 1958 |
| Gary Kirsten (SA) | 878 | 275 (642) | 26/0 | England | Durban | 26 December 1999 |
| Alastair Cook (England) | 836 | 263 (528) | 18/0 | Pakistan | Abu Dhabi | 13 October 2015 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) | 799 | 340 (578) | 36/2 | India | Colombo (RPS) | 2 August 1997 |
| Leonard Hutton (England) | 797 | 364 (847) | 35/0 | Australia | Oval | 20 August 1938 |
| Hashim Amla(SA) | 790 | 311* (529) | 35/0 | England | Oval | 19 July 2012 |
| Brian Lara (West Indies) | 778 | 400* (582) | 43/4 | England | st johns | 10 April 2004 |
| Brendon Kuruppu (Sri Lanka) | 777 | 201* (548) | 24/0 | new zealand | Colombo (CCC) | 16 April 1987 |
| Brendon McCullum (New Zealand) | 775 | 302 (559) | 32/4 | India | Wellington | 14 February 2014 |
| Alastair Cook (England) | 773 | 294 (545) | 33/0 | India | birmingham | 10 August 2011 |
Key Insights – Analysis of Marathon Stages in Test Cricket
The record for the longest Test innings in terms of time is in the name of Pakistan’s Hanif Mohammad. He batted brilliantly for 970 minutes, scoring 337 runs against the West Indies in the third innings of the 1958 Bridgetown Test.
Hanif Mohammad’s marathon innings of 970 minutes is the second longest in terms of time in all of first-class cricket.
The first-class record is held by India’s Rajeev Nayyar, who batted for 1015 minutes (271 runs on 728 balls) while playing for Himachal Pradesh. Against Jammu and Kashmir in a 1999 Ranji Trophy match.
However, Hanif Mohammad is equal to Nayyar in terms of batting for the longest period in a first-class match. He occupied the crease for 1015 minutes (45 + 970) in both innings combined in the 1958 Bridgetown Test.
Hanif Mohammad’s triple century is also the slowest in terms of time in Tests, he took 858 minutes to score his 300th run. Read more about Pari here.
Sri Lanka’s Brendon Kuruppu’s unbeaten 201 is the slowest double century in Tests, he batted for 776 minutes to reach the milestone.
Kuruppu’s innings of 777 minutes is the longest by a wicketkeeper and a batsman making his Test debut.
Gary Kirsten’s innings of 878 minutes against England in the 1999 Durban Test is the longest innings at home.
Alastair Cook’s innings of 836 minutes against Pakistan in the 2015 Abu Dhabi Test is the longest by any captain in this format.
England’s Leonard Hutton holds the record for the longest Test innings in terms of balls. He faced 847 balls, scoring 364 runs in 797 minutes against Australia in the first innings of the 1938 Oval Test.
Hutton is the only batsman to have played more than 800 balls in a first-class innings.
