---
title: "Which was the longest test ever played ?"  
description: "Which was the longest test ever played ?"  
author: "Cox elliott"  
published: 2018-08-14  
canonical: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/48271/which-was-the-longest-test-ever-played  
category: "sports"  
tags: ["cricket"]  
reading_time: 2 minutes  

---

# Which was the longest test ever played ?

Which was the longest [test](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/23242/a-guide-to-test-your-wifi-and-make-it-3x-faster) ever played ?\
\
\

## Answers

### Answer by Harshal Vispute

**1939** A **12-day test** that was timeless. The **Test match** between **England** and **South Africa** in **Durban** was the longest game of cricket ever recorded. For the same, it holds the **Guinness** World **Record**. It was the last '**timeless Test**,' which meant there was no time restriction and the match was played until a result was reached, then abandoned after **nine days**. \
What is the reason for the game's halt? The ship that was intended to transport the **[English](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/94189/who-was-the-first-chief-justice-of-england)** squad back to **[England](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/94189/who-was-the-first-chief-justice-of-england)** was scheduled to depart from **South Africa**. It was the match lasted **12 days**, from **March** 3to **14**, including two rest days on **March 5** and **12**, as well as one day on **March 11** when play was cancelled due to rain. There were **1,981** runs scored and **5,447** deliveries bowled during the **43**-**hour** and **16**-**minute** contest. \
After winning the toss, **South Africa** elected to bat. In the first innings, the home team scored **530 runs**, with **Pieter van der Bijl** scoring **125** runs and **Dudley Nourse** scoring **103 runs**. **Reg Perks** of **England** took **five wickets**. \
After **[England](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/94189/who-was-the-first-chief-justice-of-england)** was knocked out for **316 runs**, it built a **214**-**run first**-**innings** advantage. **Les Ames** was the leading run-scorer with **84 runs**, while **leg**-**spinner Eric Dalton** bowled **4** for **59 runs**. In the second innings, the **Proteas** scored **481 runs**, with **skipper Alan Melville** striking a century. **[England's](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/94189/who-was-the-first-chief-justice-of-england)** finest bowler, fast bowler **Ken Farnes**, took **4** for 74 runs. \
Set a goal of **696 runs**, England batted for six days, with two days of no activity. **Rain delayed** play after tea on **March 14**, with the visiting on **654** for **5**, just 42 runs short of its objective, and the teams agreed to call the game a draw. **Bill Edrich** hit **two centuries**, while **Paul Gibb** and **Wally Hammond** both hit a century.


---

Original Source: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/48271/which-was-the-longest-test-ever-played

Copyright © MindStick Software Pvt. Ltd. This Markdown version is provided for developers, AI systems, and offline reading.