You can't find big numbers in other formats than Test cricket. The longest format of the game gives a lot of time for teams and players to showcase their full potential on the field, which led to some of the historic performances ever.
In the 150+ years of Test cricket history, there are some batting performances, which became part of the record books. Batting in test cricket is not an easy task because the chance of getting out is very high. But then some individual has taken a batting innings to a whole new level.
There have been 29 batters who have achieved the feat of scoring a triple century, and in total there have been 33 such instances when a batsman crossed the 300-run mark. And here, we will discuss the top five individual scores in test cricket history.
List of Top five scores by a Batter in Test Cricket
1. Brian Lara (WI), 400 not out vs ENG (2004)
Legend from West Indies, Brian Lara is at the top of this world record. He did some incredible things in this career, which also has the record for the highest test score. In a 2004 home series against England, he touched the golden figure of 400 runs in an inning. It was the fourth test at St. Johns, and West Indies made 751/5 in 202 overs in their first innings. After batting almost 13 hours in his innings, he reached 400 runs. He became the first and only batter to reach this figure in an inning, which is still a world record.
2. Matthew Hayden (AUS), 380 runs vs ZIM (2003)
Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden came very close to making 400 runs in a test innings during a 2003 home series against Zimbabwe. It was the first test of the series at WACA Ground (Old Perth Ground), and Hayden slammed a 362-ball 300. He also crossed the 350-run mark but, unfortunately, got out 20 runs short of a world record. He made 380 runs, which included 11 sixes and 38 fours.
3. Brian Lara (WI), 375 runs vs ENG (1994)
Lara is the only cricketer to with two 375 or more runs innings in test cricket. He did it both times against the same team and at the same venue. For the first time, he scored a triple hundred in 1994. This was in the first inning. He batted for a total of 766 minutes, scoring 375 runs with 45 boundaries. West Indies and England both scored 593 runs, and the game was a draw.
4. Mahela Jayawardene (SL), 374 runs vs SA (2006)
Another batter that came very close to a 400-run mark was Sri Lanka's former captain Mahela Jayawardene. The record for the highest test partnership is 626, which was made between Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara (287). That is when he scored a big triple century. He made 374 runs after batting for 752 minutes and had 43 fours and one six in his innings.
5. Wiaan Mulder (SA), 367 not out vs ZIM (2025)
South African all-rounder Wiaan Mulder is now holding the fifth-highest individual score in test. He is the most recent batter to reach the triple hundred, which he did at Queens Sports Club in July 2025. It was the final game of the two-match test series, and Mulder was the stand-in captain. In the first innings, he scored 367 not out from 334 balls, which included 4 maximums and 49 fours. This is also the highest individual score in test cricket for South Africa. Interestingly, Mulder declared the innings when he was on 367 and had a chance to reach 400.
Note: Above stats are update to date until July 2025.