5 longest Test knocks of all time 

#2 Gary Kirsten vs England, Durban (1999) – 878 minutes

Gary Kirsten batted really well on a fifth-day pitch.

During England’s tour to South Africa in 1999/2000, South Africa were 1-0 ahead in the 5-match Test series when the action moved to Durban for the Boxing Day Test. England batted first after winning the toss and on the back of skipper Nasser Hussain’s unbeaten 146, they scored 366 in their first innings.

In response, South Africa were bowled out cheaply as Andy Caddick wreaked havoc, picking up 7 wickets to bowl the Proteas out for 156. Following on, Gary Kirsten played one of the best innings by a South African in a Test match.

He batted with great resilience as he scored a superb 275 which helped South Africa earn a draw. He faced 642 deliveries in his innings as he countered the likes of Darren Gough, Andy Caddick and Andrew Flintoff brilliantly. He also played left-arm spinner Phil Tufnell very well; the latter was bowling into the rough and creating a few problems, but Kirsten stood tall.

Kirsten shared very important stands with Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher for the second and fifth wicket respectively. He batted for more than 14 and a half hours to help South Africa salvage a draw.