Usman Khawaja became the thirteenth batter to bat on all five days of a Test match in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston – Here is the list of every such instance in men’s Test cricket.
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Test cricket is one of the most unique sports formats in the world in that it runs across five days, giving ample opportunity for players to make a mark on the game, and even come back from dead and buried situations.
While players often get the opportunity to come out and performed over multiple days, batters batting on all five days of a Test match is an extremely rare event.
So rare, that over the course of nearly 150 years of Test cricket, this has happened on only 13 occasions (in five-day Test matches). Here’s the entire list, in chronological order.
ML Jaisimha – India vs Australia, Eden Gardens, January 1960
Motganhalli Laxminarsu Jaisimha, an Indian right-hand batter, was the first to achieve this feat. He came in to bat at No.9 on day one of the Test against Australia in Kolkata and scored 20 not out, resuming on day two. Australia’s first innings folded for 331, leading India by 137 runs. Jaisimha came out at No.4 in the second innings late on day three and was only dismissed on day five, having played a long innings of 74 and taken India to a total of 339. Australia had a target of 203, which they couldn’t reach as they finished on 121-2 and the match ended in a draw.
Geoffrey Boycott – England vs Australia, Trent Bridge, July 1977
In the third Test of the 1977 Ashes in England, Australia scored 243 in the first innings as England batted for a few overs before stumps on day one. Geoffrey Boycott came out to open and scored 107 in an innings that lasted nearly seven hours, only finishing on the morning of day three. Australia scored 309 in their second innings, giving England a target of 189. Just like the first day, England had to negotiate a few overs before stumps on day four, which their opening pair of Boycott and Mike Brearley was able to do successfully. This meant that Boycott carried his innings onto day five and became the second batter to bat on all five days of a Test match. England eventually won by seven wickets.
Kim Hughes – Australia vs England, Lord’s, August 1980
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In the Centenary Test at Lord’s in 1980, Kim Hughes scored 117 in the first innings, coming in to bat at No.5 on day one. Day two saw play being affected by rain while not being completely abandoned, which meant Hughes got an opportunity to play on till the third day. England were all out for 205 in their first innings as Australia came out to bat on day four. Hughes was not out overnight on 38 and was eventually dismissed for 84 on day five.
Allan Lamb – England vs West Indies, Lord’s, July 1984
Allan Lamb became the second Englishman to bat on all five days of a Test match and the second player to do so at Lord’s. He scored 23 in the first innings across the first two days while batting at No.5. West Indies finished their first innings on day three for 245. Two quick wickets for England in the second innings meant that Lamb was out in the middle on day three. He scored 110, batting for more than six hours till day five. West Indies got a target of 342, which they astonishingly chased down in less than 70 overs for the loss of just one wicket, with Gordon Greenidge scoring a nearly run-a-ball double century.
Ravi Shastri – India vs England, Eden Gardens, December 1984
Ravi Shastri became the second Indian to bat on all five days of a Test match and the second one to do so at Eden Gardens. He came out to bat at No.6 on day one in the first innings, scoring 111 runs in an innings that spanned more than seven and a half hours. He was dismissed on day four as India batted for more than 200 overs despite very little play being possible on day two due to rain. England folded for 276 in their first innings and Shastri came out to open on day five, remaining not out on seven as the match ended in a draw.
Adrian Griffith – West Indies vs New Zealand, Seddon Park, December 1999
The sixth instance of a batter batting on all five days of a Test match took a long time coming – 15 years after the fifth, to be precise. West Indies opener Adrian Griffith scored 114 in the first innings and was dismissed on day two. New Zealand scored 393 in their first innings as West Indies came out to bat for just one over on day three. day four was affected by rain. West Indies lost four wickets but Griffith carried on to day five and was eventually dismissed for 18, having batted on all five days.
Andrew Flintoff – England vs India, IS Bindra Stadium, March 2006
Andrew Flintoff scored 70 in the first innings as he batted across the first three days, all of which were affected by rain. In the second innings, he came out to bat on day four, scored another fifty, and was dismissed on day five. He became the first captain to bat on all five days of a Test match.
Alviro Petersen – South Africa vs New Zealand, Basin Reserve, March 2012
Alviro Petersen scored a massive 156 in the first innings, batting for nearly eight and a half hours, spanning across the first three days. New Zealand finished their first innings at 275 on day four as Petersen came out to open and remained not out on 38 at stumps on the fourth evening. He was eventually dismissed early on the morning of day five for 39, having batted across all five days. New Zealand got a target of 389 and the match was drawn.
Cheteshwar Pujara – India vs Sri Lanka, Eden Gardens, November 2017
Eden Gardens became the first Test venue to witness a batter bat on all five days of a Test match for the third time. In a rain-marred game, Cheteshwar Pujara scored 51 in the first innings, batting across days one, two and three, as only 32.5 overs were possible in the first two days. India started their second innings on day four. Pujara came out to bat towards the very end of it and was dismissed on the fifth morning for 22. Sri Lanka got a target of 231 with less than 40 overs to play. Sri Lanka ended with a draw in the end due to fading light as they finished on 75-7.
Rory Burns – England vs Australia, Edgbaston, August 2019
Rory Burns came out to bat late on day one as Australia finished their first innings on 284. Burns batted for nearly eight hours, scoring 133, and getting dismissed only on day three. Australia scored a mammoth 487-7 in their second innings. England came out to bat for six overs on the fourth evening. Burns and Jason Roy escaped unscathed. Burns was dismissed for 11 on day five and England were all out for 156, losing the game by 251 runs.
Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul – West Indies vs Zimbabwe, Queens Sports Club, February 2023
The opening pair of Kraigg Braithwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul created history in Bulawayo when they batted across all five days of the Test match against Zimbabwe. Brathwaite scored 182 in an eight-hour-long innings that started on day one and ended on day three, while Chanderpaul scored 207, batting for nearly 10 hours. Zimbabwe finished their first innings on the fourth evening as the West Indian opening pair came out to bat for an hour. They negotiated the period safely and were only dismissed on the fifth morning. Zimbabwe got a target of 272 and the match ended in a draw as they finished with 134-6.
Brathwaite and Chaderpaul became the first pair to bat on all five days of a Test match.
Usman Khawaja – Australia vs England, Edgbaston, July 2023
Usman Khawaja became the latest entrant to this elite list as he led Australia’s batting in the first Ashes Test of 2023. Khawaja came out to bat late on day one as England made a bold declaration on 393-8. Khawaja scored 141 in the first innings which ended on day three. England set Australia a target of 281. The chase began on the fourth evening. Australia lost three wickets but Khawaja remained unbeaten overnight and batted into the fifth day, becoming the third batter to bat on all five days of a Test match in 2023.
