Did Labuschagne reach 3,000 Test runs faster than Lara or Sehwag?

Jonhenry Wilson 03 Jul 2025

Virender Sehwag was among the fastest to reach 3,000 Test runs.

Which batters have been the fastest to reach 3,000 Test runs?

Find out more about the Test cricketers to reach 3,000 Test runs in the fewest number of innings.

The 3,000-run mark – especially in record time – is a coveted milestone in Test cricket.

1. Don Bradman – 3,000 Test runs in 33 innings

Australia’s Don Bradman reached 3,000 Test runs the fastest. The prolific right-hander will be remembered for several key innings in the longest format of the international game and that astonishing 99-plus average of his.

Bradman reached this milestone against the old enemy, England, in Sydney in 1933. It will be interesting to see if a modern-day Test cricketer ever beats this incredible achievement.

2. Everton Weekes – 3,000 Test runs in 51 innings

West Indian Everton Weekes reached 3,000 runs in Test cricket the second fastest. Weekes hit 139 and 87 not out against Australia in Port of Spain in 1955.

It took him more than seven years and 30 Tests to reach the milestone and, to this day, he remains the fastest West Indian to collect 3,000 runs in Test matches. Shai Hope and current company can only aspire to be as prolific as Weekes, Lara and yesterday’s other heroes.

3. Marnus Labuschagne – 3,000 Test runs in 51 innings

Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne was the third fastest to reach 3,000 runs in Test cricket. He has come a long way as a permanent fixture in Australia’s Test XI since subbing in for the concussed Steven Smith several years ago.

Labuschagne was trialled as an opening batter during the 2025 World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s. It didn’t work and he was dropped for the subsequent Test series against the West Indies. He’ll likely be back at some stage, though.

4. Herbert Sutcliffe – 3,000 Test runs in 52 innings

Herbert Sutcliffe of England was the fourth fastest to reach 3,000 Test match runs. The years was 1930, the venue Trent Bridge in Nottingham and the opposition Australia when Sutcliffe reached this lofty milestone.

Sutcliffe played a monumental 750-plus first-class fixtures and scored more than 50,000 runs at that level from in a career that spanned almost 30 years. His 151 first-class centuries included 16 in Test match cricket.

Also read: Revealed – how many more Test runs Joe Root needs to beat Sachin Tendulkar

5. Brian Lara – 3,000 Test runs in 52 innings

West Indies have another player on this list of the fastest to 3,000 Test runs. Brian Lara reached the milestone the fifth fastest. Lara is arguably – or perhaps inarguably – the greatest left-handed batter in the history of Test cricket.

He holds numerous records, including the highest score in first-class cricket and highest score in Test cricket. Fans won’t forget that 501 not out he scored for Warwickshire against Durham in 1994. A decade later, he nailed 400 not out for the West Indies versus England.

6. Neil Harvey – 3,000 Test runs in 54 innings

Australian Neil Harvey collected 3,000 runs in Tests the seventh fastest. Like Bradman, Harvey reached this milestone for Australia against England in Sydney. But he did it 21 years after Bradman.

Harvey struck 92 not out in the fourth innings of this second Test, but it was not enough to prevent Australia from flopping to a 38-run defeat in the wake of Frank Tyson’s completion of a telling six-wicket haul on the final day.

7. Viv Richards – 3,000 Test runs in 54 innings

Another West Indian, Viv Richards, gathered 3,000 runs in Test match cricket the seventh fastest. Sir Viv personified entertainment throughout his international career. The term ‘swashbuckling’ was frequently associated to his style of play.

Richards’ milestone came at the home of cricket, Lord’s, where West Indies drew with England in the second Test in 1980. Richards struck a fine century and was named player of the match in the stalemate.

8. Garry Sobers – 3,000 Test runs in 55 innings

West Indians account for almost half this top nine list of Test match cricketers to reach 3,000 runs the fastest. Sobers did it the eighth fastest to keep good company among Richards and his other countrymen.

Sobers moved past 3,000 runs in Test cricket against Australia in Brisbane in 1960. This Test series opener, uniquely, ended in a tie. When all 40 wickets were taken and all was said and done, the Aussies and Windies had played out a cricket spectacle. Sobers hit a ton in the match.

9. Virender Sehwag – 3,000 Test runs in 55 innings

India‘s Virender Sehwag reached 3,000 runs in Test cricket the ninth fastest. Sehwag was renowned for taking the attack to the bowlers at the top of the order, regardless of the format. Grant, he was a bit more subdued in Test cricket, but often showed his ODI aggression at this level as well.

He collected this milestone during a three-match affair with Pakistan in 2005 – and collected the player of the series award for a total of 544 runs, including a double-ton in the closing fixture.