Top 5 England batsmen with most runs in test cricket

Only two England batsmen have scored over 10,000 runs in test cricket.

England, the inventors of cricket, have a rich history of several legendary batters in test cricket. David Gower, Wally Hammond and Geoff Boycott are some of those iconic figures. In this article, we will talk about the top five run-scorers for England in test cricket.

Notably, only two English batters have touched the landmark of 10,000 test runs, and one of them is touted to break Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of 15,921 runs in the longest format.

List of the top 5 England batsmen with the most runs in test cricket:

5. David Gower – 8231 runs

David Gower, who started his test career with a boundary off his first ball, was the pillar of England’s batting in the 1980s. He was one of the most consistent batters of his time. Gower played more than 100 games in both tests and ODIs.

In test cricket, he played 117 matches and scored 8231 runs at an average of 44.25, with a best of 215. He registered 18 centuries and 39 half-centuries in his test career.

4. Alec Stewart – 8463 runs

Former wicket-keeper Alec Stewart was an elegant batsman to watch and captivated his audience when in full flow. Stewart played 303 international games for England between 1989 and 2003.

He played 133 test matches and scored 8463 runs at an average of 39.54 with the highest score of 190. Stewart scored 15 centuries and 45 half-centuries. Coincidentally, he was both on 8th April 1963, 8/4/63 and scored 8463 runs in his test career.

3. Graham Gooch – 8900 runs

From starting with two ducks in his debut test to becoming one of England’s legendary batters, Graham Gooch had a dream career. Gooch was a run machine, and his stats speak for themselves – 44,846 runs in First Class games and 22,211 runs in List A cricket.

He also had a successful international career. He played 118 tests for England and scored 8900 runs at an average of 42.58 with a best of 333. Gooch notched up 20 centuries and 46 half-centuries. He holds the record for most runs (456) in a test match.

2. Alastair Cook – 12472 runs

Sir Alastair Cook is one of the most successful batters to play this format of the game. The left-hander had a solid technique and scored runs consistently despite facing the new ball. He announced himself with a ton in his debut test in 2006 and holds the record for most consecutive matches (159) for a team in test cricket.

Cook played 161 tests in his career and scored 12472 runs at 45.35, with a best of 294. The former English captain also racked up scored 33 centuries and 57 half-centuries.

1. Joe Root – 12578* runs

Joe Root is unarguably the greatest test batsman from England. He has been in a sensational purple patch since 2021 in test cricket and has broken Alastair Cook’s records of most test centuries and most test runs for England.

Root has played 147 tests so far and scored 12578 runs at an average of 51, with a best of 254. He has 35 centuries and 64 half-centuries under his belt. If he continues like this, he could break Sachin Tendulkar’s record (15921) for most test runs.

(All stats updated till 9th October 2024)

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