Len Hutton's 364 at The Oval — England's World Record, 1938

The 1938 Ashes had been drawn at Trent Bridge, Lord's and Old Trafford (rain washed out Old Trafford entirely without a ball bowled). England had won at Headingley by losing five wickets while chasing 105. Australia led 1-0 in the only matches that finished. The Oval was a timeless Test, played to a finish.

England won the toss and batted. Bill Edrich nicked off cheaply; Hutton came in at 29/1. By stumps on day one he was 160 not out, with Leyland 156 not out alongside him.

Hutton walked out on the morning of 20 August with the series tied 1-1 and the Ashes (still held by Australia from 1936-37) impossible for England to win in the conventional sense; only an outright Oval victory in this timeless Test would draw the series. He stayed at the crease across parts of three days. England added 411 for the second wicket with Maurice Leyland (187), then 215 for the sixth wicket with Joe Hardstaff Jr (169 not out).

The innings was an exercise in concentration rather than dazzle. Hutton hit 35 fours and no sixes; he gave essentially no chances. He passed Bradman's 334 to a roar from a packed Oval. Bradman, fielding at the time, walked over to shake his hand — a gesture caught on newsreel and remembered as a model of grace in defeat. Soon afterwards Bradman, bowling himself out of necessity, sprained his ankle in a foothold and was carried off; he could not bat in either innings.

England declared at 903 for 7. Australia, with neither Bradman nor Jack Fingleton (also injured) available to bat, were dismissed for 201 and 123. The margin — innings and 579 — remains the largest in Test history. Hutton's 364 took 847 balls; the strike rate of 43 looks slow now but was steady accumulation in the timeless-Test context, where finishing the innings mattered more than scoring quickly.

The record stood until Garry Sobers's 365 not out against Pakistan at Sabina Park in 1958. The England record still stands. Bradman, asked years later about the moment Hutton passed him, said: 'I was glad to be the first to congratulate him.'

“I was glad to be the first to congratulate him.”

“It was an innings made out of patience and a young man's nerves.”

Australia retained the Ashes 1-1 (drawn series, holders keep). Hutton, suddenly the most famous young cricketer in England, was reportedly mobbed every time he left the Oval; he later wrote that the attention had felt 'unreal, almost embarrassing.' Bradman recovered from his ankle, made his peace with the missed chance to bat, and returned in 1946-47 to score another 6,996 Test runs.

The 903 for 7 stood as the highest Test innings total until 1997 (Sri Lanka 952/6 v India). The 579-run margin of victory has not been beaten in over 85 years.