Long stays: Longest Test innings by Australian batters
The oldest, most established, and purest form of the sport is Test cricket is a desire of every player. While modern-day cricket is more about limited overs, to don the Whites for the nation is still something that the players consider the utmost achievement in their profession. It is quite an accomplishment for the batters to score runs and register centuries in this style, however, it takes poise, panache and tolerance to stay in the crease for an extended period of time. On that note, we take a look at the top three batters who have the longest Test innings played thus far-
3. Bob Simpson | 767 mins
During the fourth Test against arch-rivals England in Manchester, Australia skipper Bob Simpson scored a magnificent triple century (311 off 743 balls) in the first innings. His knock featured 23 boundaries and a solitary maximum which helped the Aussies get to 656 runs before declaring. He further added an unbeaten four runs which took his run tally in the match to 315 runs, batting at a staggering 767 mins in the middle. Despite this, the match eventually ended in a draw.
2. Usman Khawaja | 796 mins
The flamboyant southpaw has made massive strides with the bat to earn his spot in the national team. In the third innings of the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston, the Aussies were left reeling after losing three wickets cheaply for 67 runs. However, it was Khawaja who got the side back into the contest with his invaluable century knock as he remained solid in the middle. The southpaw got a 321-ball 141 as he stayed at the crease for a record 796 minutes, the second-most by any Australian in the history of Test cricket.
1. Mark Taylor | 938 mins
In the second Test in Peshawar, skipper Mark Taylor carved a scintillating knock against Pakistan as he recorded an unbeaten, majestic 334 runs off 564 balls. His innings featured 32 boundaries and one maximum which propelled the Aussies to attain 599 runs before declaring. He added another 92 runs in his account in the second innings. Mark remained in the crease for a solid 938 minutes with a collective score of 426 runs in the match. Eventually, the match ended in a stalemate.
