Garry Sobers' 365 Not Out — Test Record Born at Sabina Park, 1958

Sobers had toured England in 1957 without conspicuous success, scoring half-centuries but no hundreds. By the Pakistan series of 1958 he was 21 and his all-round game was developing fast. Hutton's 364, scored over 13 hours in 1938, had been on the books for almost 20 years.

Pakistan, batting first, made 328. West Indies opened with Hunte and Rohan Kanhai. After Kanhai fell for 25, Sobers came in at No. 3 and joined Hunte. Both batters knew the previous record and chose to bat for it.

Sobers had played 16 Tests as a lower-order batter and left-arm spinner without a Test century. The Sabina Park Test against Kardar's Pakistan was his ninth chance, and it changed his career. After Hunte and Sobers were brought together at 87 for 1, the two added the highest second-wicket Test partnership of all time. Hunte was eventually run out for 260 going for the run that would have given Sobers a single to equal Hutton.

Sobers reached his maiden Test century on the second morning, and never threw it away. By the close of day three he was on 228; on day four he reached his triple. With the record on his mind, he played the wicketkeeper Imtiaz Ahmed's lifters with watchful straight bat. He passed Hutton at 5.05pm with a sweep off Fazal Mahmood for two runs to fine leg. Captain Gerry Alexander immediately declared the West Indies innings closed at 790 for 3 — the highest team total in any West Indies Test innings to that point.

Pakistan's bowling was hammered. Of their five frontline bowlers, three suffered injuries during the innings; only Fazal (85.2 overs) and Khan Mohammad (54 overs) finished uninjured. Pakistan, replying, made 328 and 288 to lose the match by an innings and 174. Sobers' record stood until Brian Lara's 375 against England at St John's in April 1994 — also at home, also in front of West Indies fans.

“When I passed 300 I started to think about the record. After that, every run was a torture.”

“He played as if he had been born to break records.”

Sobers became West Indies' batting talisman immediately. He went on to score eight more Test centuries in the next two years and to complete the rare double of all-time greatness as both batter and bowler. By 1968 he would also score six sixes in an over off Malcolm Nash.

Hunte's 260 would remain his Test best. Pakistan recovered to win the next Test at Port of Spain — Hanif's 337 in their second innings would seal a draw at Bridgetown earlier in the series.