Charles Bannerman, an English-born Australian cricketer, scored a massive 165 in the very first Test match in 1877.
Since then, Test cricket, the oldest and most revered format of the game, has been witnessing batting masterclasses . The 5-day format exists as the purest examination of a batter’s ability.
This blog, an year-by-year compilation of the highest individual Test scores, is a depiction of more than just statistics. It further represents a fascinating timeline of how batting approaches have evolved across three different centuries, from the defensive techniques of the Victorian era to the aggressive stroke-making of modern times. However, it still honours the format’s traditional values.
From Bannerman’s pioneering innings to Don Bran’s dominance in the 1930s, Len Hutton’s pre-war 364, Garfield Sobers’ majestic 365* in 1966, and finally to Brian Lara’s still-standing pinnacle of 400* in 2004, each record represents not just an individual triumph but reflects the technical innovations, changing pitch conditions, evolving intelligence, and the shifting landscape of each era.
This recording of the marathon innings shows the chronological journey through cricket’s highest individual scores every year in Test cricket.
| Year | Batter | Score | Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1877 | Charles Bannerman (AUS) | 165* | England | Melbourne, Australia |
| 1879 | Alec Bannerman (AUS) | 73 | England | Melbourne, Australia |
| 1880 | William Murdoch (AUS) | 153* | England | The Oval, England |
| 1881 | Tom Horan (AUS) | 124 | England | Melbourne, Australia |
| 1882 | George Ulyett (ENG) | 149 | Australia | Melbourne, Australia |
| 1883 | Allan Steel (ENG) | 135* | Australia | Sydney, Australia |
| 1884 | William Murdoch (AUS) | 211 | England | The Oval, England |
| 1885 | George Bonnor (AUS) | 128 | England | Sydney, Australia |
| 1886 | William Grace (ENG) | 170 | Australia | The Oval, England |
| 1887 | Richard Barlow (ENG) | 42* | Australia | Sydney, Australia |
| 1888 | Robert Abel (ENG) | 70 | Australia | The Oval, England |
| 1889 | Robert Abel (ENG) | 120 | South Africa | Cape Town, South Africa |
| 1890 | William Grace (ENG) | 75* | Australia | Lord’s, England |
| 1892 | Henry Wood (ENG) | 134* | South Africa | Cape Town, South Africa |
| 1893 | Henry Graham (AUS) | 107 | England | Lord’s, England |
| 1894 | Sydney Gregory (AUS) | 201 | England | Sydney, Australia |
| 1895 | Frank Iredale (AUS) | 140 | England | Adelaide, Australia |
| 1896 | Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji (ENG) | 154* | Australia | Manchester, England |
| 1897 | Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji (ENG) | 175 | Australia | Sydney, Australia |
| 1898 | Clement Hill (AUS) | 188 | England | Melbourne, Australia |
| 1899 | Tom Hayward (ENG) | 137 | Australia | The Oval, England |
| 1901 | Archie MacLaren (ENG) | 116 | Australia | Sydney, Australia |
| 1902 | Warwick Armstrong (AUS) | 159* | South Africa | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| 1903 | Tip Foster (ENG) | 287 | Australia | Sydney, Australia |
| 1904 | Victor Trumper (AUS) | 113 | England | Adelaide, Australia |
| 1905 | Reggie Duff (AUS) | 146 | England | The Oval, England |
| 1906 | Gordon White (SA) | 147 | England | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| 1907 | Charles Fry (ENG) | 129 | South Africa | The Oval, England |
| 1908 | Victor Trumper (AUS) | 166 | England | Sydney, Australia |
| 1909 | Vernon Ransford (AUS) | 143* | England | Lord’s, England |
| 1910 | George Faulkner (SA) | 204 | Australia | Melbourne, Australia |
| 1911 | Victor Trumper (AUS) | 214* | South Africa | Adelaide, Australia |
| 1912 | Jack Hobbs (ENG) | 187 | Australia | Adelaide, Australia |
| 1913 | Wilfred Rhodes (ENG) | 152 | South Africa | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| 1914 | Phil Mead (ENG) | 117 | South Africa | Gqeberha, South Africa |
| 1920 | Warwick Armstrong (AUS) | 158 | England | Sydney, Australia |
| 1921 | Herbert Collins (AUS) | 203 | South Africa | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| 1922 | Herbie Taylor (SA) | 176 | England | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| 1923 | Phil Mead (ENG) | 181 | South Africa | Durban, South Africa |
| 1924 | Jack Hobbs (ENG) | 211 | South Africa | Lord’s, England |
| 1925 | Jack Ryder (AUS) | 201* | England | Adelaide, Australia |
| 1926 | Warren Bardsley (AUS) | 193* | England | Lord’s, England |
| 1927 | George Tyldesley (ENG) | 122 | South Africa | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| 1928 | Wally Hammond (ENG) | 251 | Australia | Sydney, Australia |
| 1929 | Wally Hammond (ENG) | 177 | Australia | Adelaide, Australia |
| 1930 | Don Bran (AUS) | 334 | England | Leeds, England |
| 1931 | Don Bran (AUS) | 226 | South Africa | Brisbane, Australia |
| 1932 | Don Bran (AUS) | 299* | South Africa | Adelaide, Australia |
| 1933 | Wally Hammond (ENG) | 336* | New Zealand | Auckland, New Zealand |
| 1934 | Don Bran (AUS) | 304 | England | Leeds, England |
| 1935 | George Headley (WI) | 270* | England | Kingston, Jamaica |
| 1936 | Wally Hammond (ENG) | 231* | Australia | Sydney, Australia |
| 1937 | Don Bran (AUS) | 270 | England | Melbourne, Australia |
| 1938 | Leonard Hutton (ENG) | 364 | Australia | The Oval, England |
| 1939 | Edward Paynter (ENG) | 243 | South Africa | Durban, South Africa |
| 1946 | Sidney Barnes (AUS) | 234 | England | Sydney, Australia |
| 1947 | Denis Compton (ENG) | 208 | South Africa | Lord’s, England |
| 1948 | Don Bran (AUS) | 201 | India | Adelaide, Australia |
| 1949 | Martin Donnelly (NZ) | 206 | England | Lord’s, England |
| 1950 | Frank Worrell (WI) | 261 | England | Nottingham, England |
| 1951 | Eric Rowan (SA) | 236 | England | Leeds, England |
| 1952 | Vinoo Mankad (IND) | 184 | England | Lord’s, England |
| 1953 | Jackie McGlew (SA) | 255* | New Zealand | Wellington, New Zealand |
| 1954 | Denis Compton (ENG) | 278 | Pakistan | Nottingham, England |
| 1955 | Bert Sutcliffe (NZ) | 230* | India | Delhi, India |
| 1956 | Vinoo Mankad (IND) | 231 | New Zealand | Chennai, India |
| 1957 | Peter May (ENG) | 285* | West Indies | Birmingham, England |
| 1958 | Garry Sobers (WI) | 365* | Pakistan | Kingston, Jamaica |
| 1959 | Rohan Kanhai (WI) | 217 | Pakistan | Lahore, Pakistan |
| 1960 | Garry Sobers (WI) | 226 | England | Bridgetown, Barbados |
| 1961 | Vijay Manjrekar (IND) | 189* | England | Delhi, India |
| 1962 | Ted Dexter (ENG) | 205 | Pakistan | Karachi, Pakistan |
| 1963 | Conrad Hunte (WI) | 182 | England | Manchester, England |
| 1964 | Bob Simpson (AUS) | 311 | England | Manchester, England |
| 1965 | John Edrich (ENG) | 310* | New Zealand | Leeds, England |
| 1966 | Bob Cowper (AUS) | 307 | England | Melbourne, Australia |
| 1967 | Geoffrey Boycott (ENG) | 246* | India | Leeds, England |
| 1968 | Graham Dowling (NZ) | 239 | India | Christchurch, New Zealand |
| 1969 | Seymour Nurse (WI) | 258 | New Zealand | Christchurch, New Zealand |
| 1970 | Graeme Pollock (SA) | 274 | Australia | Durban, South Africa |
| 1971 | Zaheer Abbas (PAK) | 274 | England | Birmingham, England |
| 1972 | Glenn Turner (NZ) | 259 | West Indies | Georgetown, Guyana |
| 1973 | Mushtaq Mohammad (PAK) | 201 | New Zealand | Dunedin, New Zealand |
| 1974 | Lawrence Rowe (WI) | 302 | England | Bridgetown, Barbados |
| 1975 | Clive Lloyd (WI) | 242* | India | Wankhede, India |
| 1976 | Viv Richards (WI) | 291 | England | The Oval, England |
| 1977 | Doug Walters (AUS) | 250 | New Zealand | Christchurch, New Zealand |
| 1978 | Zaheer Abbas (PAK) | 235* | India | Lahore, Pakistan |
| 1979 | Faoud Bacchus (WI) | 250 | India | Kanpur, India |
| 1980 | Greg Chappell (AUS) | 235 | Pakistan | Faisalabad, Pakistan |
| 1981 | Kim Hughes (AUS) | 213 | India | Adelaide. Australia |
| 1982 | Gundappa Viswanath (IND) | 222 | England | Chennai, India |
| 1983 | Javed Miandad (PAK) | 280* | India | Hyderabad, Pakistan |
| 1984 | Gordon Greenidge (WI) | 223 | England | Manchester, England |
| 1985 | David Gower (ENG) | 215 | Australia | Birmingham, England |
| 1986 | Dean Jones (AUS) | 210 | India | Chennai, India |
| 1987 | Javed Miandad (PAK) | 260 | England | The Oval, England |
| 1988 | Javed Miandad (PAK) | 211 | Australia | Karachi, Pakistan |
| 1989 | Javed Miandad (PAK) | 271 | New Zealand | Auckland, New Zealand |
| 1990 | Graham Gooch (ENG) | 333 | India | Lord’s, England |
| 1991 | Martin Crowe (NZ) | 299 | Sri Lanka | Wellington, New Zealand |
| 1992 | Ravi Shastri (IND) | 206 | Australia | Sydney, Australia |
| 1993 | Brian Lara (WI) | 277 | Australia | Sydney, Australia |
| 1994 | Brian Lara (WI) | 375 | England | St John’s, Antigua |
| 1995 | Michael Slater (AUS) | 219 | Sri Lanka | Perth, Australia |
| 1996 | Wasim Akram (PAK) | 257* | Zimbabwe | Sheikhupura, Pakistan |
| 1997 | Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) | 340 | India | Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| 1998 | Mark Taylor (AUS) | 334* | Pakistan | Peshawar, Pakistan |
| 1999 | Daryll Cullinan (SA) | 275* | New Zealand | Auckland, New Zealand |
| 2000 | Andy Flower (ZIM) | 232* | India | Nagpur, India |
| 2001 | VVS Laxman (IND) | 281 | Australia | Eden Gardens, India |
| 2002 | Inzamam-ul-Haq (PAK) | 329 | New Zealand | Lahore, Pakistan |
| 2003 | Matthew Hayden (AUS) | 380 | Zimbabwe | Perth, Australia |
| 2004 | Brian Lara (WI) | 400* | England | St John’s, Antigua |
| 2005 | Chris Gayle (WI) | 317 | South Africa | St John’s, Antigua |
| 2006 | Mahela Jayawardene (SL) | 374 | South Africa | Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| 2007 | Sourav Ganguly (IND) | 239 | Pakistan | Bengaluru, India |
| 2008 | Virender Sehwag (IND) | 319 | South Africa | Chennai, India |
| 2009 | Younis Khan (PAK) | 313 | Sri Lanka | Karachi, Pakistan |
| 2010 | Chris Gayle (WI) | 333 | Sri Lanka | Galle, Sri Lanka |
| 2011 | Alastair Cook (ENG) | 294 | India | Birmingham, England |
| 2012 | Michael Clarke (AUS) | 329* | India | Sydney, Australia |
| 2013 | Graeme Smith (SA) | 234 | Pakistan | Dubai, UAE |
| 2014 | Kumar Sangakkara (SL) | 319 | Bangladesh | Chattogram, Bangladesh |
| 2015 | Ross Taylor (NZ) | 290 | Australia | Perth, Australia |
| 2016 | Karun Nair (IND) | 303* | England | Chennai, India |
| 2017 | Alastair Cook (ENG) | 244* | Australia | Melbourne, Australia |
| 2018 | Tom Latham (NZ) | 264* | Sri Lanka | Wellington, New Zealand |
| 2019 | David Warner (AUS) | 335* | Pakistan | Adelaide, Australia |
| 2020 | Zak Crawley (ENG) | 267 | Pakistan | Southampton, England |
| 2021 | Dimuth Karunaratne (SL) | 244 | Bangladesh | Kandy, Sri Lanka |
| 2022 | Tom Latham (NZ) | 252 | Bangladesh | Hagley Oval, New Zealand |
| 2023 | Kusal Mendis (SL) | 245 | Ireland | Galle, Sri Lanka |
| 2024 | Harry Brook (ENG) | 317 | Pakistan | Multan, Pakistan |
| 2025* | Ryan Rickelton (SA) | 259 | Pakistan | Cape Town, South Africa |
Stats Highlights
Pakistan’s Hanif Mohammad scoring 337 against West Indies in Bridgetown is still the highest individual Test score by a batsman in an away Test match.
Here are the firsts in 100X scores in Test cricket:
- First century: Charles Bannerman’s 165 in the very first Test (1877)
- First double century: R.E. Foster’s 230* (1898)
- First triple century: Andy Sandham’s 323 (1928)
- First 350+: Len Hutton’s 364 (1938)
- First 400: Brian Lara’s 400* (2004)
Several cricket legends dominated the list in different eras:
- W.G. Grace in the 1880s
- Jack Hobbs in the 1910s-20s
- Don Bran in the 1930s
- Garfield Sobers in the 1960s
- Greg Chappell in the 1970s
- Brian Lara in the 1990s-2000s
Brian Lara holds the all-time record with his 400* against England in 2004, which still stands today.
There were no Test matches during World War I (1913-19) and World War II (1939-45).
The table above also shows how cricket’s competitive aspect with respect to the playing nations has evolved:
- Early dominance by England and Australia
- West Indies’ golden era (1950s-1980s)
- Rise of Asian cricket powers (Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka) from the 1980s onward
Recent years have seen slightly lower top scores, with only two new triple centuries since Karun Nair’s 302* in 2017: David Warner in 2019 and Harry Brook in 2024.
