The 10-Day Test That Ended Because England Had a Ship to Catch (Image: JIO)
In an era when a Test match can be over in three or four days, it is almost impossible to imagine a game continuing for 10 days. But in 1939, England and South Africa played a Test with no time limit. It lasted 43 hours and 16 minutes, produced 1,981 runs, and still did not have a winner. The most extraordinary example came in Durban, South Africa, in March 1939. On 14 March, England resumed with victory within reach. Hammond was dismissed for 140 and, with the score at 654/5, rain stopped play again. England needed only 42 runs. 10 days, 1,981 runs and no winner The match took place across 12 calendar days, with 10 days of actual play.
It became known as the “Timeless Test” and remains the longest Test match ever played. It remains the longest Test match in men’s cricket history, according to Guinness World Records. Test cricket has always been about patience. Rain had already interrupted the match several times, but the pitch repeatedly recovered well enough for play to continue. But the problem was no longer the weather. The match was declared a draw.
Today, five days is considered the ultimate examination, but there was a time when Test matches were played until there was a winner.
On a pitch that offered little assistance to the bowlers, South Africa batted for almost three days and made 530. Pieter van der Bijl scored 125 and Dudley Nourse made 103, with South Africa’s first innings taking around 13 hours of playing time. Bill Edrich produced a magnificent 219, while Gerry Gibb scored 120. Then England captain Wally Hammond added 140. Eventually, they reached 654/5. They needed just 42 more runs to win. After 10 days of play, England were suddenly on the verge of completing one of the greatest fourth-innings chases in Test history.
England kept batting, kept scoring and kept eating into the enormous target. Then came the rain.