Cricket: England vs. South Africa
Total Time: 43 hours, 16 minutes
It might come as a surprise to most Americans, but cricket has produced some of the most absurdly long contests in sports history. Depending on the rules, a game is only over after one side has scored more runs and dismissed all of the opposition’s batsmen, but most modern cricket matches allow for a draw to be called after a certain amount of time has elapsed.
This was once not the case with Test match cricket, the more grueling version of the game played by international teams. Test matches are usually scheduled for at least five days, at which point the highest scoring team is declared the winner. In some of the early Tests, Cricket was played in the same “timeless” style as baseball, which allowed for matches to go on indefinitely until one team won it all. This is exactly what happened in 1939 in Durban, South Africa, when England and South Africa competed in what is now known as “The Longest Test.” The match started on March 3, and continued on for a further nine days (two off days and a rain-out day were also included) with neither team able to close things out. By the 12th day, England was poised to take the win with a record 654 runs, but the match had to be called off in order for the English players to catch their boat ride back home. It was only then that “the Longest Test” was finally declared a draw.
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