This is a list of the earliest known English cricketers whose careers began prior to the first matches which are now considered to hold first-class status in 1772. The list is by season, this being the season in which the player's name first appears in sources.
Cricket underwent radical changes during the 18th century. Patronage and popular support enabled it to outgrow its roots as a village pastime and develop into a major sport. The Laws of Cricket were first written in 1744 and revised in 1774, and in the early 1760s pitched delivery bowling was introduced which necessitated the invention of the straight cricket bat: an evolution in bowling and batting techniques that radically changed cricket.
The earliest known scorecards date from 1744, but it was not until 1772 that they began to be completed and preserved on a regular basis.