List of England Test cricket records

Joe Root in 2017
Former captain Joe Root, pictured in 2017, holds several England Test cricket records.

Test cricket is the oldest form of cricket played at international level.[1] A Test match is scheduled to take place over a period of five days,[a][b] and is played by teams representing full member nations of the International Cricket Council (ICC).[5][6] England was a founding member of the ICC, having played the first Test match against Australia in March 1877 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.[7] As of October 2024, they have played more Test matches than any other team, and of their 1080 games, have won 398, drawn 355 and lost 327.[8] With 36.9 per cent of matches won, this makes England the third most successful team in the history of Test cricket, behind Australia on 47.8 per cent and South Africa on 38.4 per cent.[8]

Middle-order batsman and former captain Joe Root holds several England Test cricket records. Making his Test debut in 2012, as of October 2024, he has scored 12,754 runs – making him the second England player to score 10,000 Test runs.[9] He has made a record 64 half-centuries and 35 centuries,[10] and was one half of the highest England Test partnership of 454. As a slip fielder, holds the England record for the most catches taken with 205.[11] Captaining his side from 2016 until standing down in 2022, Root holds the record for the most matches played as English skipper with 64.[12]

The most successful Test wicket-taker for England is James Anderson,[13] who made his Test debut in 2003 and retired in 2024. He played in a total of 188 Test matches and took 704 wickets,[14] both records for England.[15] He has also picked up five wickets in an innings on 32 occasions, which is the most for the national side.[16] The corresponding record for taking ten wickets in a match is held by Sydney Barnes, who achieved this feat seven times. He also holds the Test record for the most wickets taken in a series, having removed members of the opposing side 49 times during the England tour of South Africa in 1913–14.[17][18] Alan Knott is England's most successful wicket-keeper, having taken 269 dismissals.[19] England claims two age records: James Southerton as the oldest player to make his Test debut, at 49, and Wilfred Rhodes, aged 52, as the oldest cricketer to ever play in a Test match.[20][21]

  1. ^ Nicholson, Matthew (2007). Sport and the Media: Managing the Nexus. Elsevier. p. 58. ISBN 978-0-7506-8109-4. Archived from the original on 29 December 2020.
  2. ^ Nicholas, Mark (15 March 2017). "Where are we 140 years later?". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 29 November 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  3. ^ Williamson, Martin (22 August 2015). "The Oval grind of 1938". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 9 August 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  4. ^ Gollapudi, Nagraj; Samiuddin, Osman (14 October 2017). "South Africa to play Zimbabwe in inaugural four-day Test". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  5. ^ Williamson, Martin (18 May 2007). "International Cricket Council: A brief history ..." ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 9 August 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  6. ^ "ICC Classification of Official Cricket" (PDF). International Cricket Council. June 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 July 2022.
  7. ^ Williamson, Martin (23 January 1998). "The birth of Test cricket". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 12 January 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Overall results summary for Test matches". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Test records – Most career runs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference English Test records – Most centuries was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference English Test records – Most career catches by a non wicket-keeper was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference English Test records – Most matches as captain was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference English Test records – Most career wickets was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Test records – Most career wickets taken by a fast bowler was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference English Test records – Most career matches was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference English Test records – Most five-wicket hauls in an innings was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference English Test records – Most ten-wicket hauls in a match was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference Test records – Most wickets in a series was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference wicket-keeper was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference Oldest players on debut was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference Oldest players was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).