diff --git a/pkg/ccl/backupccl/backup_test.go b/pkg/ccl/backupccl/backup_test.go
index 2ff9840f5d1d..dbc0681e8e6e 100644
--- a/pkg/ccl/backupccl/backup_test.go
+++ b/pkg/ccl/backupccl/backup_test.go
@@ -659,15 +659,18 @@ func TestBackupRestoreAppend(t *testing.T) {
 		sqlDB.ExpectErr(t, "A full backup cannot be written to \"/subdir\", a user defined subdirectory",
 			"BACKUP INTO $4 IN ($1, $2, $3) AS OF SYSTEM TIME "+tsBefore, append(test.collectionsWithSubdir, specifiedSubdir)...)
 
-		sqlDB.QueryRow(t, "UPDATE data.bank SET balance = 100 RETURNING cluster_logical_timestamp()").Scan(&ts1)
+		sqlDB.RunWithRetriableTxn(t, func(txn *gosql.Tx) error {
+			return txn.QueryRow("UPDATE data.bank SET balance = 100 RETURNING cluster_logical_timestamp()").Scan(&ts1)
+		})
 		sqlDB.Exec(t, "BACKUP INTO LATEST IN ($1, $2, $3) AS OF SYSTEM TIME "+ts1, test.collections...)
 
 		// Append to latest again, just to prove we can append to an appended one and
 		// that appended didn't e.g. mess up LATEST.
 		sqlDB.QueryRow(t, "SELECT cluster_logical_timestamp()").Scan(&ts1again)
 		sqlDB.Exec(t, "BACKUP INTO LATEST IN ($1, $2, $3) AS OF SYSTEM TIME "+ts1again, test.collections...)
-
-		sqlDB.QueryRow(t, "UPDATE data.bank SET balance = 200 RETURNING cluster_logical_timestamp()").Scan(&ts2)
+		sqlDB.RunWithRetriableTxn(t, func(txn *gosql.Tx) error {
+			return txn.QueryRow("UPDATE data.bank SET balance = 200 RETURNING cluster_logical_timestamp()").Scan(&ts2)
+		})
 		rowsTS2 := sqlDB.QueryStr(t, "SELECT * from data.bank ORDER BY id")
 
 		// Start a new full-backup in the collection version.