On this day: Brian Lara goes past Hanif Mohammad to register highest score in first-class cricket history

On this day in 1994, two months after making a world record 375 against England, the then highest Test score, Brian Lara went on to score the highest first-class score, amassing an incredible 501, that too unbeaten, against Durham while playing for Warwickshire in the County Championship. He spent 474 minutes at the batting crease, played 417 balls, hitting 62 fours and 10 sixes, en route the feat which stands tall till today, justifying the greatness of a batting legend. Not to forget, Lara smashed 174 runs alone in just one session on last day of the match, before lunch was called. Warwickshire signed him after he hit 167 against England earlier at Georgetown and not to forget, before he smashed the record 375.

Warwickshire chief executive Dennis Amiss told BBC, “We got him for £40,000, a week later, it would have cost us £100,000.” In the Edgbaston game, which was soon going to be historic, Durham declared at 556/8 after batting for one and a half days. Lara who started batting on Day 2 itself, was dropped and bowled off a no-ball, even before he had crossed 20. He made it all count, ending the day on 111 not out. The next day it rained and no play was possible. On the last day of the match, the Prince of Trinidad smashed 390 runs, to surpass Hanif Mohammad’s 499, a 35-year-old record, and eventually returned to dressing room with 501 not-out written against his name.