Brian Lara's 501 Not Out — Warwickshire vs Durham, June 1994

Hanif Mohammad's 499 had stood since January 1959, made for Karachi against Bahawalpur in a Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match. Lara's signing for Warwickshire that winter (replacing the injured Manoj Prabhakar) had been engineered by chief executive Dennis Amiss within days of the Antigua 375.

Warwickshire were following on. Day three was a complete washout. With the match drifting to a draw on the final day, Reeve declined to declare and instead encouraged Lara to chase Hanif's record once he passed 300.

Lara had signed with Warwickshire that winter on a one-year contract amid extraordinary fanfare following the 375. He made centuries in his first five County Championship matches; the Durham fixture, beginning June 2, 1994, was his sixth. Warwickshire were following on against a weak Durham attack, and Lara walked in at 8 for 1 in reply to 556. He was bowled second ball by Anderson Cummins — but Cummins had no-balled. On 18 he edged a thin chance to wicketkeeper Chris Scott, who shelled it. Scott reportedly muttered 'I bet he goes on to get a hundred.' He was out by 423. Lara ended day two on 111 not out. The third day was washed out. On the morning of the final day Warwickshire captain Dermot Reeve told Lara he could bat for as long as he wanted. Lara made 390 in a single day — 174 between lunch and tea — and by tea he had passed Hanif Mohammad's 499 from 1958-59. He hit Cummins for four through the covers to move from 497 to 501 with the very last ball before the match was set to be drawn.

“I bet he goes on to get a hundred now.”

“Records are there to be broken. This one will be very difficult to break.”

Match was drawn. Lara was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year and held both Test and first-class world records simultaneously — the first batter ever to do so. Hanif Mohammad later said in tribute: 'Records are there to be broken; this one will be very difficult to break.'