England's All-Time Test Cricket Run Leaders

The England Cricket team has a rich history in Test cricket as it is the nation who introduced the game to the world. The country has produced some of the best batsmen in the history of cricket. Many notable players have not only displayed their commendable skills at home but also in tough conditions outside home. Let’s have a look at the top five run scorers for England, who displayed their class and durability in the format.

5) David Gower 

Former  English cricketer David Gower played 117 test matches for England during his career and amassed 8, 231 runs in 204 innings. Gower made his test debut in 1978 against Pakistan in Birmingham. He scored crucial 58 runs to rescue his team after a terrible start. Gower played his last test against Pakistan in 1992. During his career, Gower recorded 39 half-centuries and 18 hundreds with an average of 44.25. His highest score in the test is 215. 

4) Alec Stewart

Alec Stewart is one of the greatest wicket keeper-batsmen in Test history. He played 133 test matches for England from 1990 to 2003 and recorded 8,463 runs at an average of 39.54. Stewart has 45 fifties and 15 hundreds to his name with his best score in test cricket being 190. Alec Stewart’s record against Pakistan is applaudable as he scored 994 runs in 13 matches against them at an average of 52.31. 

3) Graham Gooch

Graham Gooch was a powerful batsman of his time. He played 118 test matches for England and recorded 8,900 runs at an average of 42.58. He has 46 fifties and 20 test hundreds to his name. Gooch’s highest score in test cricket is 333, which he made against India in 1990 at Lord’s. 

2) Alastair Cook

The former England captain and one of the greatest test batsmen of all time, Alastair Cook has represented his country in 161 test matches. He recorded 12,472 runs at an impressive average of 45.35. Alastair Cook’s one of the most notable performances came during the 2010-11 Ashes against Australia. Cook led his team with 766 runs at an average of 127.66. Cook has 57 fifties and  33 centuries to his name with his highest score being 294.

1) Joe Root 

The former England captain Joe Root has most recently surpassed Alastair Cook’s record of most runs for England in tests. Root achieved this feat while playing against Pakistan in 2024. He scored 262 runs and with this he registered 12,527 runs in just 147 matches. So far, Joe Root has 64 fifties and 35 hundreds to his name. His test average of 51.10 remains the highest among English batsmen who have more than 8,000 runs in tests.