UNUSUAL CRICKET RECORDS

Compiled by Charles Davis

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Most of the categories of records you see here are chosen because you won’t find them anywhere else.

If not otherwise stated, they relate to Test matches only. The categories are

Batsmen	Slowest to reach 100, in overs batted Longest Test innings by number of overs batted Innings where a batsman hit his first ball for six Hitting the Winning Run Balls faced by pre-lunch century-makers Most Balls Faced without Scoring (individuals, where known) Most Balls Faced Between Fours (during a single innings) “Batting Hat Tricks”: Batsmen out three times in three balls in Tests Most Boundaries in a Test Half-Century Fast First-class Triple Centuries Without Dismissal: Longest Sequences Reaching century in lowest team scores Fewest Balls Bowled for Openers reaching 100 Unusual Run-Scoring Strokes (7s, 8s etc)
Bowlers	Four Wickets in An Over Wickets with the First Ball and Last Ball of an Innings Longest Bowling Spells (where known) Most Balls bowled in a day (individuals) Five Wickets Before Lunch on the First Day Quickest five-hauls (five wickets in the space of fewest balls) Fewest balls to reach five wickets in an innings, after first coming on to bowl. Fewest balls to reach six wickets in an innings, after first coming on to bowl. Best Test Bowling Sequences (five or more wickets for fewest runs) Most Runs and Balls Before First Wicket in Tests Most No Balls in a match Most Balls bowled Before First Wicket in an Innings Four wickets in six balls
	Individual Player v Player: Most Runs, all Tests
Session	Fewest Runs in a Full Two-Hour Session Most Runs in a Two-Hour (maximum) Session – Test matches Most Runs in a Session (Individuals)
Teams	Fast team 50s, Fast team 100s, Fast team 200s Most Balls without Scoring (Runs Off the Bat – Teams) Most No Ball Calls against a team (innings) Longest without New Ball Slowest Teams to 50 and 100 Fast and Slow Partnerships (first 100 runs) Most Runs in 'x' overs in Tests (2-20 overs) Team Hat-Tricks (3 wickets in 3 balls)

For more conventional records, you know where to look. If a reader would like

to see a new category that cannot be obtained from studying Cricinfo or Cricket

Archive, let me know and I will see what I can do.

Slowest to reach 100, in overs batted

Overs batted			Balls faced
174	Nazar Mohammad	Pak v Ind, Lucknow (University) 1952/53	520(est)
166	MC Cowdrey	Eng v WI, Birmingham (Edgbaston) 1957	535
157	DJ McGlew	Saf v Aus, Durban (Kingsmead) 1957/58	485
152	AJ Watkins	Eng v Ind, Delhi (FSK) 1951/52	480
151	Hanif Mohammad	Pak v Eng, Dhaka 1961/62	448
150(est)	JW Guy	NZ v Ind, Hyderabad (Ind - LBSS) 1955/56	448(est)
143(est)	Hanif Mohammad	Pak v Ind, Bahwalpur 1954/55	427(est)
143	PE Richardson	Eng v SAf, Johannesburg (New Wanderers) 1956/57	440
139	Mudassar Nazar	Pak v Eng, Lahore (Gaddafi) 1977/78	419

Eight-ball overs converted. Checked Feb 2020.

Longest Test innings by number of overs batted

Overs batted		Score	BF
312	Hanif Mohammad	337		Pak v WI, Bridgetown, Barbados 1958
292	L Hutton	364	858	Eng v Aus, The Oval 1938
253	RB Simpson	311	741	Aus v Eng, Manchester (Old Trafford) 1964
245	GM Turner	259	759	NZ v WI, Georgetown, Guyana 1972
225	PBH May	285*	625	Eng v WI, Birmingham (Edgbaston) 1957
222	KF Barrington	256	630	Eng v Aus, Manchester (Old Trafford) 1964
221	A Sandham	325	640	Eng v WI, Kingston, Jamaica 1930
212	SG Barnes	234	665	Aus v Eng, Sydney (SCG) 1946/47
209	G Kirsten	275	642	SAf v Eng, Durban (Kingsmead) 1999/00
208	EAB Rowan	236	620	SAf v Eng, Leeds (Headingley) 1951
200	AC Bannerman	91	620	Aus v Eng, Sydney (SCG) 1891/92
200	ML Apte	163*		Ind v WI, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad 1953
196	RM Cowper	307	589	Aus v Eng, Melbourne (MCG) 1965/66
195	Nazar Mohammad	124*		Pak v Ind, Lucknow (University) 1952/53
194	ST Jayasuriya	340	578	SL v Ind, Colombo4 (RPS) 1997
191	MC Cowdrey	154	621	Eng v WI, Birmingham (Edgbaston) 1957
191	AN Cook	263	528	Eng v Pak, Abu Dhabi 2015
190	Younis Khan	313	568	Pak v SL, Karachi 2009
189	BC Lara	400*	582	WI v Eng, Antigua (St John's) 2004
189	AN Cook	294	545	Eng v Ind, Birmingham 2011
188	AD Nourse	208	603	SAf v Eng, Nottingham (Trent Bridge) 1951

Eight-ball overs converted to six-ball equivalent. Incomplete overs counted as one

Checked Feb 2020

Individual Batsman v Bowler: Most Runs, all Tests

Bat	Bowl	Inns	Wkts	Balls	Runs	Av
SPD Smith	SCJ Broad	49	11	1101	577	52.5
CA Pujara	NM Lyon	33	13	1296	571	43.9
KC Sangakkara	Saeed Ajmal	22	4	1224	531	132.8
V Kohli	NM Lyon	31	7	1028	529	75.6
GA Gooch	N Kapil Dev	33	11	960	517	47.0
H Sutcliffe	CV Grimmett	28	7	1748	515	73.6
AR Border	IT Botham	41	12	1245	506	42.2
AR Border	JE Emburey	36	5	1189	504	100.8
JB Hobbs	AA Mailey	21	9	813	501	55.7
BC Lara	SK Warne	28	7	774	501	71.6
L Hutton	RR Lindwall	38	9	1070	499	55.4
DPMD Jayawardene	Harbhajan Singh	21	4	755	494	123.5
DG Bradman	WR Hammond	29	3	876	493	164.3
DI Gower	GF Lawson	33	14	874	485	34.6
WR Hammond	CV Grimmett	25	6	1232	483	80.5

Note that “Inns” denotes only those innings where the batsman actually faced the bowler.

Updated Aug 2023

A few incidental records:

· The most runs scored by a batsman off a bowler without ever being dismissed is 278 by Viv Richards off John Emburey.

· John Edrich scored 271 runs off Johnny Gleeson in Ashes Tests without losing his wicket.

· The highest known average is a similar case: 278 runs for once out by Kumar Sangakkara off Umar Gul.
(UPDATE: David Warner’s average off Yasir Shah is now 305.)

· Bradman scored 243 runs off Vinoo Mankad in a single series without being dismissed.

· Greg Matthews bowled Marvan Attapattu with the only two balls he ever bowled to him.

· Steve Smith dismissed Sachin Tendulkar with the only ball he bowled to him in a cricket match.

· Grimmett dismissed Xenophon Balaskas of South Africa five times in Tests while conceding two runs.

· Tim May bowled 54 balls to Mark Illott without conceding a run, dismissing him three times.
(UPDATE: Ravi Ashwin has dismissed Nuwan Pradeep four times in 15 balls and conceded no runs.)

· Ashwell Prince faced only 19 balls from Bryce McGain, but scored 48 runs.

Most Balls Bowled Head-to-Head
Bat	Bowl	Inns	Wkts	Balls	Runs	Av	R/100 b
H Sutcliffe	CV Grimmett	28	7	1748	515	73.6	29
AR Morris	AV Bedser	36	18	1386	466	25.9	34
CA Pujara	NM Lyon	33	13	1296	570	43.8	44
WR Hammond	WJ O'Reilly	30	10	1245	396	39.6	32
AR Border	IT Botham	41	12	1245	506	42.2	41
WR Hammond	CV Grimmett	25	6	1232	483	80.5	39
KC Sangakkara	Saeed Ajmal	22	4	1224	531	132.8	43
AR Border	JE Emburey	36	5	1189	504	100.8	42
MA Atherton	CA Walsh	41	17	1166	479	28.2	41
IM Chappell	DL Underwood	31	10	1129	404	40.4	36
SPD Smith	SCJ Broad	49	11	1101	577	52.5	52

Aug 2023

Four Wickets in An Over

MJC Allom	Eng v NZ, Christchurch 1929/30	0W0WWW
K Cranston	Eng v SAf, Leeds (Headingley) 1947	W0W0WW
FJ Titmus	Eng v NZ, Leeds (Headingley) 1965	W0WW0W
CM Old	Eng v Pak, Birmingham (Edgbaston) 1978	0WWnbWW1
Wasim Akram	Pak v WI, Lahore (Gaddafi) 1990/91	0WW1WW
AR Caddick	Eng v WI, Leeds (Headingley) 2000	W0WW0nbW

4 in 4 and 5 in 6 balls
GA Lohmann	SAf v Eng 1895/96 across 2 Tests	WWW/W0W	2 Tests
4 in 5 balls
MJC Allom	NZ v Eng (1), Christchurch 1929/30	0W0WWW	same over
CM Old	Eng v Pak (1), Birmingham (Edgbaston) 1978	WWnWW	same over
Wasim Akram	Pak v WI (3), Lahore (Gaddafi) 1990/91	WW1WW	same over
4 in 6 balls
W Bates	Aus v Eng (2), Melbourne (MCG) 1882/83	W30/WWW*	2 overs
K Cranston	Eng v SAf (4), Leeds (Headingley) 1947	W0W0WW	same over
FJ Titmus	Eng v NZ (3), Leeds (Headingley) 1965	W0WW0W	same over
JN Gillespie	Aus v Eng (2), Perth (WACA) 1998/99	W0WW/1W	2 overs
Mohammad Sami	Pak v SL (1), Lahore (Gaddafi) 2001/02	WWW/00W	2 inns
Sohag Gazi	Ban v NZ (1), Chittagong 2013/14	W0/0WWW	2 overs
TA Boult	NZ v WI (2), Wellington (Basin Reserve) 2013/14	W0W/W0W	2 overs
KAJ Roach	WI v Ban (1), Antigua (Richards) 2018	W/0W0WW	2 overs
NM Lyon	Pak v Aus (2), Abu Dhabi 2018	WW/0W0W	2 overs

* Probable

Checked Jul 2023

Innings where a batsman hit his first ball for six (where known)

Bat		Bowler
G Ulyett	Eng v Aus, Sydney (SCG) 1881/82	TW Garrett
TW Wall	Aus v Eng, Nottingham (Trent Bridge) 1930	RK Tyldesley
EAV Williams†	WI v Eng, Bridgetown, Barbados 1948	JC Laker
HHH Johnson	WI v Eng, Manchester (Old Trafford) 1950	R Berry
RG Archer	Aus v Eng, Adelaide 1954/55 (unconfirmed)	JH Wardle
FM King‡	WI v Aus, Kingston, 1955 (probable)	RG Archer
NAT Adcock	SAf v Eng, Johannesburg (New Wanderers) 1956/57	JH Wardle
A D'Souza	Pak v Eng, Lord's 1962	LJ Coldwell
VA Holder	WI v Eng, Leeds (Headingley) 1969	BR Knight
JA Jameson	Eng v WI, Kingston, Jamaica 1974	KD Boyce
GS Chappell	Aus v Eng, Lord's 1975	DS Steele
AL Logie	WI v Ind, Kinston 1982/83	M Amarnath
IT Botham	Eng v Aus, Birmingham (Edgbaston) 1985	CJ McDermott
PA de Silva*	SL v Ind, 1985/86 Colombo SSC	Kapil Dev
ST Jayasuriya	SL v Eng, 1992/93 Colombo SSC	PCR Tuffnell
CL Cairns	NZ v WI, Wellington 1999/00	NO Perry
M Muralitharan	SL v SAf (1), Johannesburg (Wanderers) 2002/03	SM Pollock
PJ Wiseman	NZ v SL (1), Colombo1 (PSS) 2002/03	HDPK Dharmasena
BC Lara	WI v Aus (4), Antigua (St John's) 2003	B Lee
M Muralitharan	SL v Ind (2), Delhi (FSK) 2005/06	IK Pathan
MS Dhoni	Ind v WI (3), St Kitts 2006	PT Collins
GC Smith	SAf v Ind (3), Cape Town 2006/07	Z Khan
PG Fulton	NZ v Ban (1), Dunedin (Unversity) 2007/08	Mohammad Ashraful
M Muralitharan	SL v NZ (1), Galle 2009	CS Martin
Shakib Al Hasan	Ban v Ind (2), Dhaka (Mirpur) 2009/10	PP Ojha
M Morkel	SAf v NZ (3), Wellington 2011/12	DL Vettori
Z Khan	Ind v NZ (2), Bangalore 2012	TG Southee
CH Gayle*	WI v Ban (1), Dhaka (Mirpur) 2012/13	Sohag Gazi
SR Tendulkar†	Ind v Aus (1), Chennai (Chepauk) 2012/13	NM Lyon
Junaid Khan	Pak v SL (3), Sharjah 2013/14	HMRKB Herath
MD Craig**	NZ v WI (1), Kingston, Jamaica 2014	SJ Benn
BJ Haddin	Aus v Ind (4), Sydney (SCG) 2014/15	Mohammed Shami
BB McCullum	NZ v Eng (2), Leeds (Headingley) 2015	SCJ Broad
BB McCullum	NZ v SL (1), Dunedin (Unversity) 2015/16	HMRKB Herath
DA Warner	Aus v SL (3), Colombo2 (SSC) 2016	MDK Perera
BB Chari	Zim v SL (2), Harare 2016/17	HMRKB Herath
Mohammed Shami	Ind v Eng (2), Visakhapatnam 2016/17	AU Rashid
Sikandar Raza	Zim v SL (1), Colombo4 (RPS) 2017	HMRKB Herath
JO Holder	WI v Zim (1), Bulawayo (Queen's) 2017/18	SC Williams
Hasan Ali	Pak v Eng (2), Leeds (Headingley) 2018	DM Bess
UT Yadav	Ind v SAf (3), Ranchi (Jharkand) 2019/20	GF Linde
TA Boult	NZ v WI (2), Wellington (Basin Reserve) 2020/21	RL Chase
DJ Mitchell	NZ v SL (1), Christchurch (Hagley) 2022/23	NGRP Jayasuriya
Liton Das	Ban v Ire (1), Dhaka (Mirpur) 2022/23	AR McBrine
MA Wood	Eng v Aus (3), Leeds (Headingley) 2023	MA Starc
Agha Salman	Pak v SL (1), Galle 2023	NGRP Jayasuriya

*First ball of the innings. Gayle’s was the first ball of the match, and the first ball bowled by Sohag Gazi in Test cricket.

‡Out next ball. †Hit first two balls for six.

Jayasuriya’s six was the only ball he faced. Ditto for Agha Salman.

**Craig hit the first ball he faced in Test cricket for six, the first player to do so.
The only player known to hit his last ball in Test cricket for six was WW Daniel in 1984. Glenn Maxwell and Stuart Broad have, to date, done the same,

although it is possible (if unlikely) that they will play again.

Updated July 2023

Hitting the Winning Run

	Winning run
RT Ponting	9
DL Haynes	7
L Hutton	6
Misbah-ul-Haq	6
SR Tendulkar	6
CG Greenidge	5
GC Smith	5
ML Hayden	5
MV Boucher	5
JD Campbell	5
BC Lara	4
CL Hooper	4
GP Thorpe	4
GS Chappell	4
IR Redpath	4
JB Hobbs	4
JH Kallis	4
MEK Hussey	4
ST Jayasuriya	4
D Elgar	4
JE Root	4

The winning run has been bye(s) on 13 occasions.

Updated Jul 2023.

They hit the winning run with their last ball in Test cricket

	Winning hit
C Bannerman	3	Aus v Eng, Melbourne (MCG) 1878/79
D Denton	4	Eng v SAf, Cape Town 1909/10
JF Crapp	4	Eng v SAf, Port Elizabeth 1948/49
Gul Mahomed	3	Pak v Aus, Karachi (National) 1956/57
PJ Sharpe	2	Eng v NZ, The Oval 1969
BW Yuile	4	NZ v Pak, Lahore (Gaddafi) 1969/70
DL Amiss	4	Eng v Aus, Manchester (Old Trafford) 1977
GRJ Roope	2	Eng v NZ, The Oval 1978
JK Moss	1	Aus v Pak, Perth (WACA) 1978/79
SP O'Donnell	2	Aus v NZ, Sydney (SCG) 1985/86
TE Blain	4	NZ v Pak, Christchurch 1993/94
RG Samuels	4	WI v Aus, Perth (WACA) 1996/97
S Ragoonath	2	WI v Aus, Kingston, Jamaica 1999
IR Siddiqui	1	Ind v Eng, Mohali 2001/02
SC Williams	4	WI v Ind, Bridgetown, Barbados 2002
N Hussain	1	Eng v NZ, Lord's 2004
CH Gayle	1	WI v Ban, Arnos Vale 2014

Moss and Siddiqui were playing in their only Tests.

Up to 2015 only.

They Took Wickets with the First Ball and Last Ball of an Innings

	AME Roberts		WI v Ind, Kolkata 1974/75
	RGD Willis		Eng v Aus, Brisbane ('Gabba') 1978/79
	ST Clarke		WI v Ind, Bangalore 1978/79
	N Kapil Dev		Ind v SAf, Durban (Kingsmead) 1992/93
	Wasim Akram		Pak v Zim, Rawalpindi (Cricket Stadium) 1993/94
	DE Malcolm		Eng v WI, Leeds (Headingley) 1995
	GD McGrath		Aus v SL, Galle 1999/00
	PT Collins		WI v Ban, Dhaka 2002/03
	SM Pollock		SAf v Eng, Nottingham (Trent Bridge) 2003
	PT Collins		WI v Ban, St Lucia (Beausejour) 2004
	PT Collins		WI v Ban, Kingston, Jamaica 2004
	B Lee		Aus v SAf, Durban (Kingsmead) 2005/06
	DW Steyn		SAf v Eng, Johannesburg (New Wanderers) 2009/10
MA Starc		SL v Aus, Galle 2016
DW Steyn		SAf v NZ, Centurion (Centurion Park) 2016
	R Ashwin		Ind v Eng (1), Chennai (Chepauk) 2020/21
	B Muzarabani		Zim v Afg (1), Abu Dhabi 2020/21
	K Rabada		SAf v Aus (1), Brisbane ('Gabba') 2022/23

All Out innings only

July 2023

Balls faced by pre-lunch century-makers

		Runs pre-lunch	BF pre-lunch		Team runs
BA Stokes (258)	Cape Town 2015	130	74		196
BC Lara (216)	Multan 2006	100	77		161@
Majid Khan (112)	Karachi 1976	108	84		141
GS Chappell (176)	Christchurch 1982	100	93		143
AB de Villiers (129)	Centurion (Centurion Park) 2010	119	93		225@
IR Bell (162*)	Chester-le-Street 2005	105	102		178
VT Trumper (104)	Manchester 1902	103	105	approx	173
Inzamam-ul-Haq (112)	Harare 2002	103	106		176@
BC Lara (191)	Bulawayo 2003	114	109		167@
C Hill (142)	Johannesburg1 1902	116	115	approx	201
SJ McCabe (189*)	Johannesburg1 1935	100	122		132
HG Owen-Smith (129)	Leeds 1929	102	138		170@
KS Ranjitsinhji (154*)	Manchester 1896	113	140	est. only	196
LEG Ames (148*)	Oval 1935	123	145	est. only	221@
MA Taylor (334*)	Peshawar2 1998	103	145		161@
WR Hammond (336*)	Auckland 1933	111	149		160
CG Macartney (151)	Leeds 1926	112	151		153
DG Bradman (334)	Leeds 1930	105	153		136
CP Mead (182*)	Oval 1921	109	159		174@
JB Hobbs (211)	Lord's 1924	102	179		200@
W Bardsley (164)	Lord's 1912	118	195	est. only	208@

@ = extended session.

Recent

DA Warner		Aus v Pak (3), Sydney (SCG) 2016/17		100		78		Day 1
HH Pandya		Ind v SL (3), Pallekele 2017		107		92		Day 2
S Dhawan		Ind v Afg (1), Bangalore 2018		104		92		Day 1
	M Labuschagne 104*		Perth 2022		101		83		Day 4
	BM Duckett 182		Lord’s 2023 (v Ireland)		101		89		Day 2

Updated Jul 2023

Fewest Runs in a Full Two-Hour Session (where known), 30+ overs

Runs	Off bat		Day	Sess	Wkts	Deliveries
22	19	SAf v Ind (4), Delhi (FSK) 2015/16	5	1	1	210
26	25	SAf v Aus, Brisbane ('Gabba') 1931/32	5	3	3	276
26	26	Pak v Ind, Peshawar (Club) 1954/55	4	1	3	240 (est.)
26	21	NZ v SL, Colombo (SSC) 1983/84	5	2	0	193
27	23	Eng v Ind, Chennai (Nehru) 1963/64	3	2	0	240
27	26	Aus v Eng, The Oval 1956	5	3	5	229 (108’)
28	28	Aus v Eng, Manchester (Old Trafford) 1956	5	1	0	220 (115’)
29	26	Eng v Ind, Lord’s 1986	4	3	4	191(114’)
30	27	Eng v Aus, Perth (WACA) 1978/79	1	1	2	193
30	28	SAf v Aus, Adelaide Oval 1993/94	5	2	4	198

Minimum 30 overs. Does not include interrupted sessions, including those with change of innings.

Sessions that fell a few minutes short of two hours have been included, but not 60- and 90-minute sessions, which were commonplace in some countries before 1980.

At Brisbane 1958/59, England scored 19 off 168 balls in 90 minutes before lunch on the fourth day.

England scored only 27 in 39 overs before lunch on the third day at Bridgetown in 1954, but it was still only a 90 minute session(!).

Pakistan scored 21 runs in 192 balls (32 overs) after tea in a 90-minute session on the fourth day at Dhaka 1961/62, including 5 runs off 100 balls by Alim-ud-Din. Pakistan was 28 for 0 off 43 overs at stumps, having batted more than 2 hours.

At Trent Bridge 1934, England scored 26 off 232 balls in the final session of the match before being all out.

At Pallekele in 2016, Australia scored 20 off 229 balls after lunch on the 5^th day before being all out before tea.

Updated July 2023

Fewest Runs in a Full Two-Hour Session (24-30 overs)

Runs	Off bat		Day	Sess	Wkts	Deliveries
25	20	NZ v SL, Morutawa 1992/93	5	1	2	171
26	25	Pak v SL, Sharjah 2011	5	3	1	168
26	24	NZ v WI, Antigua (Richards) 2012	5	1	2	157
27	?	Ind v Pak, Lahore 1984/85	3	2	4	168*
28		Pak v WI, Karachi 1986/87	5	1	2	146†
29	28	Ind v WI, Kingston, Jamaica 2006	1	1	2	175
29	28	Aus v Eng, Manchester (Old Trafford) 1981	3	1	3	169
30	25	Eng v Aus, Adelaide Oval 2006/07	5	1	4	170

*Time uncertain

†17-minute injury break

Updated Jan 2013

Most Runs in a Two-Hour (maximum) Session – Test matches

236 (43 overs) Aus v SA, Lunch-Tea Day 1, Joburg 1921 (119 off 85 balls by Jack Gregory)

235 (45 overs) Eng v NZ, Lunch-tea Day 3, Leeds 1949 (both teams batted)

233 (41 overs) Eng v Pak, Lunch-Tea Day 2, Nottingham 1954 (Denis Compton 173)

223 (43 overs) Eng v SA, Lunch-Tea Day 2, Lord’s 1924

220 (47 overs) Eng v NZ, Lunch-Tea Day 2, Auckland 1933 (Wally Hammond 150)

216 (28 overs) Pak v Ind, lunch-tea Day 2, Lahore 2006 (two teams)

209 (32 overs, 100 minutes) Aus v SA, lunch-tea Day 1, Sydney 1910/11

208 (~115 minutes) Eng v Ind, lunch-tea Day 2, Manchester 1936 (two teams) **

208 (34 eight-ball overs) lunch-tea Day 2, WI v Eng, The Oval 1939 (KH Weekes 113)

207 (29 overs) Aus v Zimbabwe Lunch-Tea Day 2, Perth 2003 (both Matt Hayden and Adam Gilchrist scored centuries in the session)

206 (44 Overs) Eng v NZ, lunch-tea Day 3, Auckland 1930

201 (38 overs) Aus v SA, before lunch Day 3, Johannesburg 1902 (1^st Test), (Clem Hill 116 runs)

** Eng v Ind, lunch-tea day 2, Manchester 1936 (two teams): Sources vary as to the score at tea. One source specifically states that an early tea was taken at change of innings, after 171 runs in the session (at 3:50, or 40 minutes early, which seems surprising. However, this is the most likely scenario). Another suggests India was 37/0, giving 208 in the session. Another says India was 69/0, giving 240 in the session. However, this would imply an improbably late tea time after 5:00, based on reports that India scored at about a run a minute early in the innings. India’s innings started at 4:04.

Most Runs in a Longer Session

At Christchurch in 2022-23, New Zealand scored 257 runs after tea in a very extended the final session, after the first two sessions were

rained off (230 minutes, 54 overs). This is the most runs scored in continuous play in a Test.

In the 19^th Century, formal tea breaks were often not taken. The most post-lunch runs in such a match was 259 at The Oval in 1884.

There was however, a 17-minute change of innings in that session.

249 (33 overs, 155 minutes) SA v Zim, post-tea day 1, Cape Town 2005

244 (58 overs, 165 minutes), Eng v Aus, post-tea day 3, Oval 1921

239 (45 overs, 140 minutes), Eng v NZ, pre-lunch day 3, Lord’s 1937 (two teams)

236 (35 overs, 150 minutes) Eng v Aus, post-tea day 1, Edgbaston 2001 (two teams)

227 (150 minutes) Eng v India, pre-Lunch day 2, Manchester 1936

225 (150 minutes, 36 overs) SA v Ind, pre-lunch day 3, Centurion 2010 (AB de Villiers 119)

223 (35 overs, 150 minutes) Eng v Ban, post-tea day 1, Chester-le-Street 2005 (ME Trescothick 127)

221 (150 minutes) Eng v SA, pre-Lunch day 3, Oval 1935 (Les Ames 123) 3^rd day

219 (35 overs, 150 minutes) NZ v Zimbabwe day 1, post-Tea, Harare 2005 (Daniel Vettori 127)

219 (44 overs, 150 minutes) NZ v Aus, tea-stumps day 5, Brisbane 2001

216 (42 overs, 150+ minutes) tea-stumps, NZ v Eng day 4, Auckland 2002

213 (34 overs, 138 minutes) tea-stumps, Aus v Ind day 4, Sydney 2015

209 (150 minutes) SAf v Eng, pre-lunch day 3, Oval 1929

208 (47 overs, 154 minutes) Aus v SA, post-tea day 3, Melbourne 1910/11 (Victor Trumper 133)

208 (150 minutes) Aus v SA, pre-Lunch day 2, Lord’s 1912 (Warren Bardsley 118)

206 (32 overs, 156 minutes) SAf v Aus, tea-stumps day 2, Perth 2012/13

206 (40 overs) Eng v Aus, tea-stumps day 5, The Oval 2013

204 (40 overs, 150+ minutes) tea-stumps day 4, SA v Pak, Cape Town 2003

203 (150 minutes) Eng v SA, pre-Lunch day 2, Oval 1935 (two teams, 2^nd day)

203 (145 mins) Eng v WI, lunch-tea, Oval 1928 (2^nd day)

202 (42 overs, 140 minutes) lunch-tea day 2, Eng v WI, Lord’s 1957

202 (41 overs, 150+ minutes) tea-stumps day 1, Aus v Eng, Leeds 2001

202 (36 overs) tea-stumps day 1, Aus v SAf, Adelaide 2012/13

201 (40.4 overs, 175 minutes) tea-stumps day 4, WI v NZ, Kingston 2014

200 (57 overs, 150 minutes) Eng v SA, pre-Lunch day 2, Lord’s 1924

More Recent

201 (40.4 overs, 180 minutes), WI v NZ, tea-stumps day 4, Hamilton 2013/14

214 (33 overs, ~175 minutes) NZ v SL, tea-stumps day 1, Christchurch 2014/15

213 (34 overs, 135 minutes) Aus v Ind, tea-stumps day 4, Sydney 2014/15

218 (32 overs, 129 minutes) Eng v Pak, lunch-tea day 3, Rawalpindi 2022-23

257 (54 overs, 230 minutes) NZ v SL, post-tea day 5, Christchurch 2022-23 (see note above)

Note that prior to 1940, tea break timings, and lengths of afternoon sessions, were rather variable.

Prior to 1915, tea breaks often did not take place if there was a change of innings after lunch; tea

was incorporated into the change of innings. Sometimes this resulted in a long extension of one

session and shortening of another. Prior to 1900, tea breaks often did not take place at all. In most

series in England from 1899 to 1949, pre-lunch sessions were normally 150 minutes, except on the

first day.

The longest session since the institution of tea breaks was 241 minutes (46.4 overs) after tea on the 4^th day

at the MCG, Aus v Eng 1998-99. The session was extended to make up for lost time, and also to

expedite completion of the match. Tea had also been taken early to incorporate a change of innings.

Checked July 2023

Most Runs in a Session (Individuals)

173 DCS Compton (278) Eng v Pak Nottingham 1954 (lunch-tea)

150 WR Hammond (336*) Eng v NZ Auckland 1932-33 (lunch-tea)**

140 IDS Smith (173) NZ v Ind Auckland 1989-90 (tea-close)

139 NJ Astle 222 NZ v Eng Christchurch 2002 (tea-close)

133 VT Trumper 159 Aus v RSA Melbourne 1910-11 (tea-close: 154min session)

127 ME Trescothick 165 Eng v Ban Chester-le-Street 2005 (tea-close) (about 140 mins)

127 SJ McCabe 232 Aus v Eng Nottingham 1938 (lunch-tea)

127 DL Vettori 127 NZ v Zim Harare 2005 (tea-close: 150 min session)

123 LEG Ames 148* Eng v RSA The Oval 1935 (pre-lunch: 150 min session)

122 CA Roach 209 Georgetown 1929-30 (tea-close, 105 mins)

121 R Benaud 121 Aus v WI Kingston 1954-55 (lunch-tea)

Recent Additions:

130 (74 balls) BA Stokes SAf v Eng, Cape Town 2015/16 (pre-lunch Day 3)

126 (90 balls) S Dhawan SL v Ind, Galle 2017 (lunch-tea Day 1)

**Close analysis of the scoresheet suggests that Hammond may have scored 151 or 152 runs in the

session. However, there are anomalies in the score.

Feb 2018

Fast team 50s (where known)

Balls	Inns	Ov#	Team Bat
26	1	4.2	England (416)	Eng v WI (2), Nottingham (Trent Bridge) 2024
27	4	4.3	England (205/2)	Eng v SAf (3), The Oval 1994
30	4	4.6	England (50/0)	Eng v SL (3), Manchester (Old Trafford) 2002
32	3	5.2	Sri Lanka (406)	Pak v SL (2), Karachi (National) 2004/05
33	4	5.3	India (387/4)	Ind v Eng (1), Chennai (Chepauk) 2008/09
33	1	5.3	India (181/2)	Ind v WI (2), Port-of-Spain, Trinidad 2023
34	4	5.4	Pakistan (98/0)	Pak v SL (3), Karachi (National) 1985/86
34	4	5.4	Australia (62/1)	Aus v Pak (3), Sydney (SCG) 2004/05
34	4	5.4	England (170/2)	Eng v Pak (3), Karachi (National) 2022/23
34	4	5.4	New Zealand (61/1)	NZ v Pak (1), Karachi (National) 2022/23
35	4	5.5	India (61/4)	SL v Ind (1), Colombo2 (SSC) 1985
37	4	6.1	New Zealand (223/9)	Aus v NZ (3), Hobart (Bellerive) 1997/98
37	4	6.1	England (163/2)	Eng v Ban (1), Lord's 2010
38	2	6.2	Australia (445)	Eng v Aus (4), Leeds (Headingley) 2009
38	3	5.6	Pakistan (176/6)	WI v Pak (2), Kingston, Jamaica 2021
38-40	3		West Indies (195)	Eng v WI (3), The Oval 1933
Updated Aug 2024
Fast team 100s (where known)
Balls	Inns	Ov#	Team Bat
74	3	12.2	India (181/2)	WI v Ind (2), Port-of-Spain, Trinidad 2023
80	2	13.2	Sri Lanka (555/5)	SL v Ban (1), Colombo2 (SSC) 2001/02
81	4	13.3	England (205/2)	Eng v SAf (3), The Oval 1994
82	4	13.4	England (170/2)	Eng v Pak (3), Karachi (National) 2022/23
83			Bangladesh (556)	Ban v WI (1), Dhaka (Mirpur) 2012/13
83	1	13.5	England (657)	Eng v Pak (1), Rawalpindi 2022/23
84			Australia (369)	Aus v Ind (3), Perth (WACA) 2011/12
85	3	14.1	Bangladesh (253)	Ban v Ind (2), Dhaka (Mirpur) 2007
87	2	14.3	Australia (456)	Aus v Eng (3), Perth (WACA) 2002/03
87	1	14.3	Bangladesh (419)	Ban v Eng (2), Dhaka (Mirpur) 2009/10
91	2	11.8	West Indies (585)	Aus v WI (2), Perth (WACA) 1975/76
91			West Indies (129/1)	Eng v WI (1), Leeds (Headingley) 1995
Updated Aug 2024
Fast team 200s (where known)
Balls	Inns	Ov#	Team Bat
171	3	28.1	Australia (241/2)	Aus v Pak (3), Sydney (SCG) 2016/17
181	1	30.1	England (657)	Eng v Pak (1), Rawalpindi 2022/23
183	2	29.4	New Zealand (690)	NZ v Pak (3), Sharjah 2014/15
183	3	30.3	England (264/7)	Eng v Pak (1), Rawalpindi 2022/23
187	3	31.1	South Africa (569)	Aus v SAf (3), Perth (WACA) 2012/13
192	2	23	West Indies (585)	Aus v WI (2), Perth (WACA) 1975/76
195	3	32.3	England (237/6)	WI v Eng (5), Port-of-Spain, Trinidad 2009
198	2	32.6	South Africa (340/3)	SAf v Zim (1), Cape Town 2004/05
204	2	33.6	England	Eng v Ind (3), Rajkot (Khandheri) 2023/24
205	2	34.1	England	Eng v Ire (1), Lord's 2023
210	4	34.6	England (205/2)	Eng v SAf (3), The Oval 1994
210	4	34.6	New Zealand	NZ v Ban (1), Wellington (Basin Reserve) 2016/17
211		34.3	Australia (550)	Aus v SAf (2), Adelaide Oval 2012/13
213	3		England (272/4)	SAf v Ind (3), Johannesburg (Wanderers) 2017/18
213	2	35.3	England	Eng v Aus (4), Manchester (Old Trafford) 2023
217	2	36.1	Australia (296)	SAf v Aus (1), Johannesburg (Old Wanderers) 1902/03
217	3	35.5	Australia	Aus v Ind (4), Sydney (SCG) 2014/15
Updated Aug 2024

Most Balls Faced Between Fours (during a single innings)

Balls
377	B Mitchell (88)	Birmingham (Edgbaston) 1929
326	DJ McGlew (70)	Johannesburg (New Wanderers) 1957/58
302	AC Bannerman (91)	Sydney (SCG) 1891/92
300	WH Scotton (82)	Adelaide Oval 1884/85
291	WM Woodfull (102)	Melbourne (MCG) 1928/29
275*	AC Bannerman (41)	Melbourne (MCG) 1891/92
269	BA Edgar (74)	Perth (WACA) 1985/86
250	EAB Rowan (67)	Durban (Kingsmead) 1938/39
242	RG Barlow (42*)	Sydney (SCG) 1886/87
236	TE Bailey (38)	Leeds (Headingley) 1953
233	GP Thorpe (118)	Lahore (Gaddafi) 2000/01
224	SM Nurse (70)	Melbourne (MCG) 1960/61

*Approximate

FLH Mooney (New Zealand) hit no fours off his last 430 balls faced in Test cricket, spread over six innings.

In 1978/79, Geoff Boycott faced 569 balls between boundaries, spanning six innings (including one innings of 337 balls). There was one four, which included two overthrows.

During McGlew’s innings, The South African openers batted 338 balls before hitting the first four of the innings (Endean off Benaud).

“Batting Hat Tricks”: Batsmen out three times in three balls in Tests

		Team		In	Hat trick completed	King Pair?
	W Attewell	England		Australia	Jan-1892	Yes
	JJ Kotze	South Africa		England	Jul-1907
	AEE Vogler	South Africa		Australia	Dec-1910	Yes
	RJ Crisp	South Africa		South Africa	Feb-1936	Yes
	N Gordon	South Africa		South Africa	Mar-1939
	C Wesley	South Africa		England	Jul-1960	Yes
	Imtiaz Ahmed	Pakistan		Pakistan	Feb-1962
	Asif Masood	Pakistan		England	Jul-1971
	BS Bedi	India		England	Jul-1974
	GB Troup	New Zealand		New Zealand	Feb-1981	Yes
	N Kapil Dev	India		New Zealand	Feb-1981
	PR Downton	England		England	Jul-1985
	WKM Benjamin	West Indies		West Indies	Apr-1988
	DC Boon	Australia		Australia	Jan-1990
	Gopal Sharma	India		India	Nov-1990
	IR Bishop	West Indies		Pakistan	Nov-1990
	DC Boon	Australia		Australia	Nov-1993
	HH Streak	Zimbabwe		Pakistan	Dec-1993
	DJ Richardson	South Africa		South Africa	Jan-1995	Yes
	CA Walsh	West Indies		England	Jul-1995
	M Muralitharan	Sri Lanka		Sri Lanka	Sep-1996
	J Srinath	India		South Africa	Dec-1996
	AG Huckle	Zimbabwe		Zimbabwe	Mar-1998	Yes
	Harbhajan Singh*	India		India	Feb-1999
	Shahid Afridi	Pakistan		Pakistan	Mar-1999
	AB Agarkar	India		Australia	Jan-2000	Yes
	CEL Ambrose	West Indies		England	Aug-2000
	AC Gilchrist	Australia		India	Mar-2001	Yes
	M Muralitharan	Sri Lanka		Sri Lanka	Jul-2002
	Taufeeq Umar	Pakistan		Pakistan	Oct-2002
	AJ Hall	South Africa		England	Aug-2003
	Mohammad Asif*	Pakistan		England	Aug-2006
	JP Duminy	South Africa		South Africa	Jan-2010
	JD Ryder	New Zealand		New Zealand	Jan-2011
	V Sehwag	India		England	Aug-2011	Yes
	MEK Hussey	Australia		Australia	Dec-2011
	Z Khan	Australia		Australia	Jan-2012
	TL Chatara	Zimbabwe			2013
	KAJ Roach	West Indies			2013
	HMRKB Herath	Sri Lanka		UAE	2014	Yes
	KTGD Prasad	India		Sri Lanka	2015	Yes
ST Gabriel			SL v WI (1), Galle 2015/16
JM Anderson			Ind v Eng (2), Visakhapatnam 2016/17
ANPR Fernando			Pak v SL (1), Abu Dhabi 2017/18
Nurul Hasan			WI v Ban (2), Kingston, Jamaica 2018
Mohammed Shami			Aus v Ind (1), Perth Stadium 2018/19
L Ambuldeniya			Zim v SL (1), Harare 2019/20

Updated Mar 2020. For recent cases, the Test listed was the final Test in the sequence.

*Harbhajan and Asif were out three times while facing three balls, but included ‘diamond ducks’.

The Kotze and Gopal Sharma cases (in italics) are uncertain.

Gary Troup was out five times in the space of seven balls, spread over several matches. Kotze’s innings were five years apart; he may have faced as few as ten or twelve balls in his whole career,

while being dismissed five times and scoring just two runs. But they all must tip their hats to Ajit Agarkar who was out to five consecutive balls he faced against Australia in 1999/2000.

Troup and Kapil Dev completed their respective batting hat tricks in the same match, at Wellington in 1981.

Technically, a few of these cases include run outs, in which the batsman may not actually have faced the ball he was out.

Asif Masood’s three balls stretched over three matches and two years.

Hussey scored 89 and 150* in his next two innings.

Longest Bowling Spells (where known)

354 balls (59 overs) ND Hirwani at the Oval 1990.

352 balls (44 eight-ball overs), AMB Rowan, Durban 1948/49.

328 balls (41 eight-ball overs) GS Sobers MCG 1960/61.

328 balls (41 eight-ball overs) HJ Tayfield, Cape Town 1956/57

322 balls (53.4 overs) Hugh Tayfield, Saf v Eng, The Oval 1955.

312 balls (52 overs) Tom Veivers Calcutta 1964

307 balls (51.1 overs) Tom Veivers Manchester 1964.

306 balls (51 overs) W Rhodes (age 52), Georgetown, 1930

300 balls (50 overs) George Giffen, Sydney 1894/95.

300 balls (50 overs, 413 minutes) Mohammad Nazir, Pak vs Ind, Nagpur 1983/84.

At Lahore 1987 v England, Abdul Qadir, across both innings, bowled his 73 overs in the space of 148 team overs, missing only one possible over

(plus one change of end).

See also Ramadhin and Valentine at the Gabba 1951, below.

Hirwani conceded 137 runs in his record spell. Most runs conceded in a spell of bowling: at Bulawayo in 2003/04, Ray Price (5 for 199) bowled a spell of 33 overs, taking 3 wickets for 157.

Longest spell by a pace bowler: Garry Sobers’ 41 eight-ball overs above involved some of his fast-medium bowling; the majority was spin.

At Headingley in 1962, Munir Malik, regarded as fast-medium, bowled unchanged for 44 overs.

JK Lever, fast-medium, bowled a spell of 31 overs at the MCG in 1980. Tom Richardson, regarded as a genuine fast bowler,

bowled more than 50 five-ball overs in one day at Old Trafford in 1896, although not, as far as I can tell, in a single spell.

Kapil Dev’s 30.3-6-83-9 against West Indies at Ahmedabad in 1983 was an unbroken spell.

FR Spofforth bowled a spell of about 48 four-ball overs, equivalent to 32 six-ball overs, in 1884.

Two bowlers unchanged (six-ball overs):

93* overs, S Ramadhin and AL Valentine, Brisbane 1951

86 overs, S Ramadhin and AL Valentine, Lord’s 1950

79 overs, W Rhodes and WE Astill, Georgetown 1930

75 overs, DA Allen and GAR Lock, Calcutta 1961/62

73 overs, S Ramadhin and AL Valentine, Christchurch 1952.

65 overs Iqbal Qasim and Tauseef Ahmed, Karachi 1979/80

*Six-ball over equivalent. Ramadhin (40) and Valentine (40.7) bowled 80.7 out of the last 81.7 eight-ball

Overs (equivalent to 109 six-ball overs), with one change of ends after (close to) 11 overs.

Most Runs and Balls Before First Wicket in Tests

AG Kripal Singh: 651 balls. Kripal Singh was regarded as an all-rounder, but his bowling in Tests never

made the grade. He took his first wicket in 1961-62, in his 10^th innings of bowling for India,

conceding 235 runs up to that point. His first wicket was Geoff Pullar.

RGCE Wijesuriya: 561 balls (thanks to Shahzad Khan for the info). He bowled only 22 more balls in

Tests. He “beat” JJ Warr’s record bowling average in the 1980s, finishing on 294.00. He conceded a record 285 runs before his first wicket.

JJ Warr: 551 balls. Warr’s unsought fame lies in his career bowling average of 281.00. His only

wicket, Ian Johnson, came in his last Test in 1951. (265 runs).

IM Chappell: 536 balls. Chappell became a useful part-time spinner, but he didn’t have

much luck early. (211 runs)

PR Umrigar: 528 balls (thanks to Shahzad for precise info). (~160runs)

JC Alabaster: 513 balls (273 runs). Most highly rated bowler on this list. Took 49 Test wickets. His

subsequent strike rate was 71 balls per wicket.

DB Pithey conceded 252-257 runs before his first wicket. (about 490 balls).

Honourable mention: Kerry O’Keeffe became a respected bowler for a while in the Australian team,

but he didn’t take a wicket until he had bowled 442 balls (118 runs).

The longest wicket-free bowling career was JL Hopwood of England, 462 balls in 1934 (155 runs). Anwar Hossain Monir conceded 307 runs in Tests without taking a wicket (348 balls)

Pankaj Singh conceded 274 runs before his first wicket in 2014 (418 deliveries).

DR Tuffey conceded 232 runs before his first wicket (303 deliveries).

Khaled Ahmed of Bangladesh conceded 272 runs before his first wicket in 2021 (420 balls).

Unknown: Rusi Surti conceded perhaps 250-260 runs before his first wicket. Conceivably, up to 275 runs (very unlikely). Probably >400 balls.

Checked June 2022

Longest without New Ball

185.3 overs India v W Indies Bridgetown 1961-62*†	Ind 187 (Final)
177 overs WI v NZ Wellington 1986/87†	NZ 386/5 (Final)
173.2 overs Pak v NZ Wellington 1984/85	NZ score 488 (492 Final)
166 overs India v England, Kanpur 1984/85	Eng score 362 (417 Final)
161 overs South Africa v Zimbabwe Harare 2001/02	Zim score 352 (391 Final)
160.5 overs India v England Manchester 1990†	Eng 519 (Final)
157.4 overs Pakistan v New Zealand (428) Karachi 1984/85†	NZ 426 (Final)
156 overs Sri Lanka v Pakistan Sialkot 1991/92	Pak score 412 (423/5 Final)
156 overs Pakistan v South Africa Rawalpindi 1997/98	SA score 376 (403 Final)
154 overs England v India Bombay 1976/77†	Eng 317 (Final)
154 overs India v England The Oval 1990†	Eng 477-4 (Final)
152 overs New Zealand v West Indies Georgetown 1985	WI score 508 (511/6 Final)
151 overs Sri Lanka v England Edgbaston 2002	Eng score 497 (545 Final)
148 overs England v India Kanpur 1963/64	Ind score 205 (266 Final)

*In many Tests prior to 1965, the new ball was only made available after 200 runs were scored (depending where the Test was played). This applied in the 1962 Bridgetown Test

(source, The Statesman [Calcutta]), where only 187 runs were scored in those 185 overs.

† Whole innings

In the first two cases above, the innings ended without a new ball being taken. A new ball was taken in the third case (Wellington 1984/85).

At Edgbaston in 1957, West Indies, after taking a new ball at 96 overs, did not take another new ball for the remaining 162 overs of the innings.

One newspaper report specifically states that West Indies did not take a new ball at Kanpur in 1978/79 (India 644/7 in 189.4 overs); however, this is contradicted by other reports (new ball after 76 overs).

Note: prior to 1894/95 (and as late as 1905 in England) new balls were not scheduled, although sometimes a ball unfit for use was replaced. In one such case, at Sydney in 1891/92, a ball was replaced after 207 overs.

Sri Lanka took a new ball at 527 at Mumbai in 2009 (over 105). Sehwag had already made 293.

Sehwag also scored 254 in an innings of 77.2 overs at Lahore in 2006. Sehwag's are the highest known individual innings uninterrupted by a new ball.

Most runs before a new ball was taken

608/7	(91.3 ov)	Eng v Pak (1), Rawalpindi 2022/23
527/3	(105 ov)	Ind v SL (3), Mumbai (Brabourne) 2009/10
508/5	(153 ov)	WI v NZ (2), Georgetown, Guyana 1985
497/9	(152 ov)	Eng v SL (2), Birmingham (Edgbaston) 2002
496/2	(115.1 ov)	SL v Ire (2), Galle 2022/23
488/7	(173 ov)	NZ v Pak (1), Wellington 1984/85
471/4	(91.1 ov)	Eng v Aus (4), Manchester 2023

England declared at 524-4 in 82.4 overs against Ireland in 2023 with no new ball being taken.

England scored 528-3 declared in 112 overs against Bangladesh at Lord's in 2005, with no new ball taken.

England scored 519 off 160.5 overs with no new ball taken at Manchester in 1990.

Highest score at the end of the 80th (six-ball) over is 529/5 by England in the above match against Pakistan.

October 2023

Most Consecutive Balls Faced without Scoring (where known)

Balls without scoring	On		Minutes
~95	45	B Mitchell (58)    SA v AU   Brisbane     1931-32	90