Sonny Ramadhin’s 774-delivery marathon – the most balls bowled in a Test match

Sonny Ramadhin West Indies cricketer
Sonny Ramadhin bowled 774 deliveries in one Test for the West Indies against England in Birmingham in 1997.

During the recently completed second Test between South Africa and Pakistan it felt to many as though the South African bowlers were over-worked. Having won the toss and batted first, the home side scored a very imposing 615 runs in their first innings.

They then bowled Pakistan out for 194 and, after a degree of debate, decided to enforce the follow-on. That meant the home bowlers were back in the field again and this time Pakistan showed much more resistance as they reached a score of 478.

By the time they had dismissed Pakistan twice Keshav Maharaj had bowled 53 overs, Kagiso Rabada 40 and Marco Jansen 36. It seemed like a lot of bowling. But how does it stack up when compared to the most bowling done in a single Test.

Let’s take a moment to look at the players hold the record for the most balls bowled in a single Test. What is particularly interesting is that three of the bowlers on the top five list bowled their collection of overs in eth same game – the famous timeless Test in Durban that came to an end only because the touring England team had a boat to catch to get home!

5. Chud Langton (South Africa) – 728 balls

South Africa vs England, Kingsmead, 1939

Generally, the players who with the heavy workloads are spinners, but that wasn’t the case for the man formally known as Arthur Chudleigh Beaumont Langton. Playing in the famous timeless Test between South Africa and England in Durban, Langton was an allrounder who bowled medium pacers.

It was a tough place to be a bowler as this was a test that saw plenty of runs scored. South Africa did well to dismiss England for 316 in their first innings, with Langton, who opened the bowling with Bob Newson, returning figures of 35-12-71-3.

England’s second knock was a little more brutal as Bill Edrich scored a double ton while Paul Gibb and Wally Hammond also reached three figures. When play was eventually called off England were on 654 for five and Langton had bowled a further 56 overs for an additional 132 runs and a wicket.

4. Norman Gordon (South Africa) – 738 balls

South Africa vs England, Kingsmead, 1939

Another South African quick who was made to toil in the timeless Test was Norman Gordon. Having started his career bowling on mat wickets, Norman took a while to adapt to turf pitches which meant he broke into the South African side quite late in his career. He played just five Tests before the outbreak of the war, after which he never played for South Africa again.

He toiled hard in the Timeless Test bowling 738 balls for the lone wicket of Eddie Paynter – not a bad scalp to pick up though. Paynter has the sixth highest Test batting average of all time.

Also read: Big runs, no tons – most Test runs without a century

3. John White (England) – 749 balls

England vs Australia, Adelaide, 1929

Another trip far back in time to when overs contained eight balls. Slow Left arm Orthodox John White, who was known as Jack, was a man who played 15 Tests and took 49 wickets. Not a big turner of the ball he was an expert when it came to flight variations, and he was naggingly accurate.

While the bowling in the timeless Test was a thankless task that was shared around amongst a host of bowlers, when White set his record he carried a huge load, bowling almost twice as much as the next busiest bowler in the game, Maurice Tate. In a closely contested game White was instrumental in winning it for England (they won by 12 runs) as he grabbed a second innings haul of eight for 126.

2. Hedley Verity (England) – 766 balls

South Africa vs England, Kingsmead, 1939

England’s workhorse in the timeless Test, Verity was a left arm orthodox bowler who would almost certainly have played many more Tests than the 40 he managed had he not died during the Second World War at the age of just 31. With a highest Test batting score of 66 not out and a total of 144 wickets at 24.37 as a bowler, Verity was a quality cricketer.

For the record he boasts the sixth best figures in a Test match, the fourth best economy rate in a test innings and the second most Test wickets taken Hit Wicket. The Timeless Test was almost certainly not his most enjoyable game as he was worked incredibly hard, bowling a whopping 766 balls. It was his penultimate Test before the outbreak of the war.

1. Sonny Ramadhin (West Indies) – 774 balls

England vs West Indies, Birmingham, 1957

West Indies off break bowler Ramadhin was a bowler who could turn the ball both ways. Often bowling in tandem with spin twin Alf Valentine he was known for his ability to bowl long spells. Valentine wasn’t in the team when the West Indies faced England in Birmingham in 1957. After winning the toss England elected to bat first and Ramadhin ripped through them to claim a first innings return of seven for 49 in a modest 31 overs.

The Windies went on to post a score of 474 as the wicket turned batsman friendly. And its friendliness grew further, as once the West Indies were out England posted a massive 583 for 4 declared with Peter May making an undefeated 285. The match ended in a draw, but not before Ramadhin bowled an outrageous second innings spell of 98-35-179-2.

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