Five Slowest Fifties In 143 Years Of Test Cricket History

International cricket began exactly 143 years ago when England and Australia played the first-ever Test match from 15-19 March 1877. Since then, the sport has changed radically in the following years, although Test cricket continues to shine today.

Often called the purest format of the game, Test cricket has an illustrious history. It has undergone various changes but the longest format continues to entertain fans around the world.

Having said that, Test cricket is all about patience. It requires players to be focused and dedicated over a long period.

Batsmen usually take time whenever they play Test cricket. A player tried to adjust as per the conditions of the pitch, and it can become a tedious process sometimes. Furthermore, sometimes, players create records owing to their slow batting.

Since the purest format has completed 143 years recently, we decided to take a look at five slowest fifties by batsmen in cricketing history.

5) Peter Taylor (Australia) – 235 Balls

Peter Taylor represented Australia for a brief period, but he will always be remembered for his 235 balls fifty against England. Taylor came out to bat at number seven and put in a respectable shift to keep his side in the match.

He scored 54* runs in 251 balls, although his fifty came in 235 balls. Despite Taylor’s best efforts, Australia eventually lost the match by an innings and 188 runs. It remains a record till date, featuring in top five slowest fifties in the history of Test cricket.

4) Chris Tavare (England) – 236 Balls

After the inception of international cricket between England and Australia, these two teams played Test cricket against each other various times in the next few years.

Various records were created and broken between this period. Meanwhile, English batsman Chris Tavare’ managed to score the slowest fifty of that time, in the year 1980. He played an incredibly slow inning of 82 runs off 277 balls, reaching his fifty in 236 balls.

Tavare’ opened the innings for England and top-scored for his side in the match. Since Pakistan had asked England to follow on, it was mature inning from the 65-year-old.

3) Evan Gray (New Zealand) – 238 Balls

New Zealand was one of the powerhouses of cricket in the 80s and 90s. They had some legendary players in that period, and Evan Gray was one of them.

Gray was a specialist bowler who only played ten Test matches for New Zealand. Despite this, he will always be remembered for scoring one of the slowest fifties in the history of Test cricket. It was the only half-century of his career.

The 65-year-old registered an incredible 238 ball fifty against England at Nottingham in 1986. Gray came out to bat at number six and slogged to his fifty at a strike rate of just 21.

2) Allan Border (Australia) – 262 Balls

Former Australian skipper Allan Border is a well-known name in the history of Test cricket. He led Australia for many years and created various records in the meantime. The 64-year-old was renowned for his stubbornness and gritty attitude.

Playing against a might West Indies side featuring legends such as Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose, and Courtney Walsh, Border managed a score of 75 runs off a mammoth 330 balls. He reached his fifty in 262 balls, having played with a paltry strike rate of 22.

In the end, though, Australia won the match by seven wickets and Border was adjudged as the ‘Man of the Match’ for his tireless innings.

1) Trevor Bailey (England) – 350 Balls

Throughout the history of Test cricket, England has given the world various legendary batsmen, one of which, was Trevor Bailey. In the year 1958, Bailey that did something was unheard of, up until that point of time.

In the first Test between England and Australia, at Brisbane, Bailey played a mind-numbing knock of 68 runs in 425 balls. He scored his half-century off 350 balls, which was an unprecedented feat.

It is the slowest fifty in the history of Test cricket, moreover, the former English all-rounder scored his fifty in 357 minutes, a brave effort in a match where only two batsmen reached to the score of 50.

The Aussies however, won the match, and coincidentally it was the first-ever televised Test match of Australia.