5 longest Test knocks of all time
As the name suggests, Test cricket is one of the toughest formats of the sporting world. It tests every component of the game; it is a test of patience, endurance, concentration and grit for every player.
Over the years, we’ve heard a lot about how batsmen need to show resilience, character and determination during a Test innings. They need to occupy the crease and bat for long hours, tiring out the bowlers and playing out the good deliveries/spell before cashing in on the loose ones. And some batsmen have batted for hours and hours together, showing great determination and character.
Here, we look at the five longest Test knocks in cricket history.
Criterion used to rank the innings: Minutes batted
#5 Leonard Hutton vs Australia, The Oval (1938) – 797 minutes
Sir Leonard Hutton was undoubtedly one of the greatest opening batsmen to have ever played Test cricket. But his career got off to an indifferent start; in his first eight innings, the Yorkshire opener had two centuries but failed miserably in the rest of his six innings (with a highest score of 14).
In the fifth Test in the 1938 Ashes, England, who were 1-0 down in the series, won the toss and batted first at the Oval. Hutton, who had played the first two Tests of the series, returned for the final one and opened alongside William Edrich. The latter fell early as he could manage only 12 but Hutton batted on and on and on.
He shared a mammoth 388-run stand with No. 3 Maurice Leyland, who scored 187. Hutton kept batting on as he scored a humongous 364; he was at the crease for more than 13 hours. He played 847 balls during his stay at the crease which is the most in Test history.
This monumental effort from Hutton helped England score 903, which was the highest Test total for almost 60 years (it is now the second highest). England won the game by an innings and 579 runs to square the series.