10 slowest centuries in Test history by minutes played

#3 Alastair Cook 263 in 836 minutes against Pakistan at Abu Dhabi, 2015

Alastair Cook

In the first Test of the tour to the United Arab Emirates in 2015, England found themselves on the backfoot after Pakistan made 523 in their first innings. What England needed, was a typically dogged rearguard from their then captain Alastair Cook and, that is exactly what they got.

Against a potent Pakistani bowling attack, Cook stonewalled for 836 minutes in the desert heat and faced as many as 528 deliveries, to lead his team out of the woods at a place where they had struggled in their previous tour.

He made 263 runs and was the 7th man out in the 191st over, after England had already made 549. They eventually declared for 598 but the primary target of saving the Test was achieved. The match ended in a draw.