Leading Run Scorers for England in Test Cricket

Alastair Cook recently became the first Englishman to score 10,000 runs in Test Cricket, the youngest to achieve that surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s record. England have been playing test cricket for over 130 years now, and they have had some great batsman in the likes of Micheal Vaughn, Micheal Atherton, GP Thorpe, KF Barrington and the list will continue. But, none of the mentioned names could make it to 10,000 runs elite list in Test Cricket.

Here’s a look at leading run scorers for England in Test Cricket.

(5/5)    KEVIN PIETERSEN

The Famous English batsman called as KP has made it to 5th in the list despite having played no Test Cricket since 2013. His 8,181 Test runs at 47.28 in 104 Tests with twenty-three 100s and thirty-five 50s with a strike rate of 61.72 , he had few rivals in England’s history and his record in limited-overs cricket was also outstanding. In 2013, he became the highest England run-scorer in all international forms of the game combined. For many England cricket fans, no name sparks more excitement than him. His Test cricket career beckoned with the 2005 Ashes : Pietersen’s selection ahead of Graham Thorpe representing the toughest selectorial decision of early summer. He sealed the return of the urn after 17 years with a stroke-filled 158 at The Oval on the final day of the series. England needed to avoid defeat to regain the Ashes and Pietersen was dropped three times on the way to 60, but tension gave way to scenes of jubilation as his adrenalin-charged climax included seven sixes, breaking Ian Botham’s record for England in an Ashes Test. He was named the man of the match, finished an uneven series as top scorer, with 473 runs at 52.55 He was also named as one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year.If KP had played more tests, he surely would have made 10.000 runs earlier than anyone and would have smashed every English Record.

(4/5) DAVID GOWER

The fluffy-haired, ethereal-looking young man who pulled his first ball in Test cricket for four in 1978 was to be England’s most consistent and consistently exasperating batsman of the 1980s. Other batsmen go in and out of form: Gower always seemed to play the same – beautifully, until the moment, he made a mistake. Sometimes, the erring moment was put off long enough for him to play an innings of unforgettable brilliance.  He played 117 tests for England and made 8231 runs with an average of 44.25 scoring over 18 Centuries. A left-hander with a strong top hand, Gower’s strokes had a liquid, graceful feel: in an era of buffers, he was a caresser. When he edged a catch, he would be damned as irresponsible but, with his style, the difference between an exquisite stroke and a nick was little more than an inch. His character appeared as uncomplicated as his cricket, but his devil-may-care attitude hid some complexities, even perhaps an inner loneliness. Lazy journalists called him “laid-back” but you don’t score 8231 Test runs without a cladding of steel.  He retired prematurely into a career as a TV personality so successful that his cricket seemed mere preparation.

(3/5)  ALEC STEWART

When Stewart was in full flow, there were few who could live with him. Relying on touch, he was in his element against the quicks, cover-driving with a neat flourish and pulling with panache- most memorably when he thundered two centuries during England’s storming of fortress Bridgetown in 1993-94. He was less secure against the spinners, however, and his instinctive style meant his career was a sequence of purple patches and less colourful troughs. Stewart played 133 test matches for England, the most by any English cricketer till now and scored over 8463 runs with an average of 39.54 amassing over 15 100s as the wicket-keeper batsman. He scored a century in his 100th Test, the sheer length of the standing ovation he received suggested that Stewart had become a national institution. Against India at Lord’s in 2002, he crowned his achievements by becoming England’s most-capped Test cricketer, overtaking Graham Gooch’s record of 118 matches. His love of the football manager-style soundbite has earned him the nickname Gaffer.Stewart now works in the media and acts as an executive director of Surrey.

(2/5)  GRAHAM GOOCH

Graham Gooch was the most prolific run scorer top-class cricket has ever seen. After he retired in 1997, the statistician Robert Brooke calculated that he had scored 22,211 runs in List A cricket which, added to his 44,846 first-class runs, put him ahead of Jack Hobbs. It was an amazing achievement, especially for a man who gave the impression that he was constantly on the brink of walking out in disgust. Gooch was an uninhibited belter of a cricket ball. Armed with one of the game’s heaviest bats, he could always wallop it when he chose, but the inhibitions grew. He played 118 tests for England, scored  8900 runs  with an average of 42.58  and 20 centuries against his name. His highest score was 333 against India at Lords which he himself terms as his best innings. Gooch was seen as a player, who would achieve great things for the English cricket but he had his share of torrid times as well.  After retirement, his career took a surprise turn: earmarked as English cricket’s supremo, he was bombed out as coach and selector and became a broadcaster, with a sly wit that surprised those who had seen only his poker face and his broad bat.He returned to coaching as Essex batting coach, working closely with Alastair Cook. His success earned him a consultancy role for England before he was made full-time batting coach for the national side in February 2012.

(1/5) ALASTAIR COOK

This English Captain just crossed the 10,000 runs in Test Cricket and became the youngest one to do so breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s Record.

Those in the know were saying that the tall, dark and handsome Alastair Cook was destined for great things very early on, and on the Ashes tour of 2010-11, he came good on a host of promises, scoring an incredible 766 runs in seven innings to anchor England’s first series win in Australia for 24 years. In so doing, he went past 5,000 Test runs, having turned 26 on Christmas Day – the second youngest batsman to reach the landmark after Sachin Tendulkar. Two years later and further records had been broken as he became England’s leading Test century-maker – hitting No. 23 against India in Kolkata, his third in three matches – and the youngest player to pass 7000 runs.

It had seemed inevitable, from the moment he scored a hundred on debut against India in 2006, that he would have a prolific career and captain his country.

He is currently paying his 128th test match for England against Srilanka and has scored more than 10,000 career runs with twenty-eight 100s against his name and an average of 46.49 . The way he is going he can set all new record and benchmarks in England Cricket. Cook has also been hailed as one who will break the Tendulkar’s record of 15,942 runs in test cricket. Well, it’s a long way but Cook will be there some day as the greatest English Test Cricketer.