Stats: Slowest 50s in terms of time and balls faced in Test cricket
No format of the game tests the skills of a cricketer more than Test cricket. Apart from skills, the longest format of cricket also pushes cricketers to show some amount of resolve and have bundles of patience too.
But with the advent of Twenty20 cricket, the strike rates in Tests have gone up to a level that is scarcely believable. There have been times when a hundred with a strike rate of 60 was considered a good innings; now, batsmen are scoring centuries at a strike-rate of 80 and entertaining cricket fans in ways that many did not think was possible.
Irrespective of the size of the boundaries, batsmen have demonstrated an ability to clear the rope with consummate ease.
However, Test cricket has been witness to some highly patient yet heroic knocks from batsmen, which have helped their team to secure a hard-fought stalemate. They may seem like inglorious stands, but the mental qualities displayed during such knocks, not to mention the degree of mastering the defensive technique, put these batsmen into the highest order of great cricketers.
We take a look at slowest fifties in Test cricket by minutes and balls till this day.
Here is a table that shows slowest fifties in Test cricket by minutes. (More than 275 minutes).
| Minutes | Player name | Country | Opponant | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 357 | Trevor Bailey | England | Australia | Brisbane | 1958/59 |
| 350 | Christopher Tavare | England | Pakistan | London | 1982 |
| 333 | Bryan Young | New Zealand | South Africa | Durban | 1994/95 |
| 326 | Sunil Gavaskar | India | Sri Lanka | Colombo | 1985 |
| 318 | Rameez Raja | Pakistan | West Indies | Karachi | 1986/87 |
| 316 | Chetan Chauhan | India | Pakistan | Kanpur | 1979/80 |
| 315 | Shoaib Mohammad | Pakistan | Zimbabwe | Lahore | 1993/94 |
| 313 | Derrick McGlew | South Africa | Australia | Johannesburg | 1957/58 |
| 312 | Jeffrey Crowe | New Zealand | Sri Lanka | Colombo | 1986/87 |
| 310 | Bruce Edgar | New Zealand | Australia | Wellington | 1981/1982 |
| 310 | Allan Border | Australia | West Indies | Sydney | 1988/89 |
| 306 | Christopher Tavare | England | Australia | Manchestar | 1981 |
| 304 | Peter Taylor | Australia | Pakistan | Karachi | 1988/89 |
| 302 | Dilip Sardesai | India | West Indies | Bridgetwon | 1961/62 |
| 300 | Geroge Camacho | West Indies | England | Bridgetown | 1967/68 |
| 300 | Kiran More | India | South Africa | Durban | 1992/93 |
| 298 | Evan Gray | New Zealand | England | Nottingham | 1986 |
| 297 | Robert Hart | New Zealand | West Indies | Bridgetown | 2002 |
| 294 | Christopher Smith | England | New Zealand | Auckland | 1983/84 |
| 290 | Geoffrey Boycott | England | Pakistan | Lahore | 1977/78 |
| 289 | Christopher Tavare | England | India | Bombay | 1981/82 |
| 282 | EDAS McMorris | West Indies | England | Kingston | 1959/60 |
| 282 | James Adams | West Indies | England | Manchester | 2000 |
| 281 | Naseer Hussain | England | South Africa | Durban | 1999/00 |
| 280 | Peter Richardson | England | South Africa | Johannesburg | 1956/57 |
| 280 | Geoffrey Boycott | England | Australia | Perth | 1978/79 |
| 277 | Geoffrey Boycott | England | New Zealand | Wellington | 1977/78 |
| 275 | William Lawry | Australia | England | Melbourne | 1962/63 |
| 275 | VVS Laxman | India | South Africa | Durban | 2006/07 |
Here is a table that shows slowest fifties in Test cricket in terms of balls faced. (Min.200 balls faced)
| Balls faced | Player Name | Country | Opponant | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 350 | Trevor Bailey | England | Australia | Brisbane | 1958/59 |
| 262 | Allan Border | Australia | West Indies | Sydney | 1989/89 |
| 238 | Evan Gray | New Zealand | England | Nottingham | 1986 |
| 236 | Christopher Tavare | England | Pakistan | London | 1982 |
| 235 | Peter Taylor | Australia | Pakistan | Karachi | 1988/89 |
| 229 | Bryan Young | New Zealand | South Africa | Durban | 1994/95 |
| 228 | John Brearley | England | Pakistan | Hyderabad | 1977/78 |
| 222 | Clive Radley | England | New Zealand | Auckland | 1977/78 |
| 219 | Christopher Tavare | England | Australia | Manchestar | 1981 |
| 218 | William Lawry | Australia | England | Sydney | 1970/71 |
| 214 | James Adams | West Indies | England | Manchestar | 2000 |
| 213 | Naseer Hussian | England | South Africa | Durban | 1999/00 |
| 212 | Jeffrey Crowe | New Zealand | Sri Lanka | Colombo | 1986/87 |
| 212 | Heath Streak | Zimbabwe | New Zealand | Harare | 2000/01 |
| 210 | Mudassar Nazar | Pakistan | England | Hyderabad | 1977/78 |
| 209 | Rameez Raja | Pakistan | West Indies | Karachi | 1986/87 |
| 208 | Geoffrey Boycott | England | Pakistan | Lahore | 1977/78 |
| 208 | James Adams | West Indies | Zimbabwe | Kingston | 1999/00 |
| 207 | Anothony Greig | South Africa | India | Delhi | 1972/73 |
| 204 | Dennis Amiss | England | India | Mumbai | 1976/77 |
| 204 | Bruce Edgar | New Zealand | Australia | Perth | 1985/86 |
| 204 | Naseer Hussain | England | Pakistan | Karachi | 2000/01 |
| 204 | Rajin Saleh | Bangladesh | Pakistan | Karachi | 2003/04 |
| 204 | Abdul Razzaq | Pakistan | India | Mohali | 2004/05 |
| 203 | Graham Roope | England | Pakistan | Karachi | 1977/78 |
| 202 | Robert Hart | New Zealand | West Indies | Bridgetown | 2002 |
| 201 | Adrian Griffith | West Indies | Australia | Antigua | 1998/99 |
| 201 | Javed Omar | Bangladesh | Zimbabwe | Chittagong | 2001/02 |
| 200 | John Wright | New Zealand | England | Wellington | 1977/78 |
| 200 | Mark Butcher | England | Sri Lanka | Galle | 2003/04 |
| 200 | Thilan Samaraweera | Sri Lanka | England | Colombo | 2003/04 |