Representing England’s cricket team in Test cricket is a huge feat for any budding cricketer. It is one of the few countries that ranks the game’s longer format at a higher level.
As the sport’s founder, the UK is one of the oldest countries playing the game. Like their Ashes counterpart, Australia, England has 15 players in the elite list of players who have played 100 Test matches in their career.
This article will list them all — the players featured in 100 or more Test matches for the England cricket team.
Players with 100 Test Matches for England
| PLAYER | TEST MATCHES FOR ENGLAND | RUNS | WICKETS |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Anderson | 188 | 1353 | 704 |
| Stuart Broad | 167 | 3662 | 604 |
| Alastair Cook | 161 | 12472 | 1 |
| Joe Root | 142 | 11940 | 68 |
| Alec Stewart | 133 | 8463 | – |
| Ian Bell | 118 | 7727 | 1 |
| Graham Gooch | 118 | 8900 | 23 |
| David Gower | 117 | 8231 | 1 |
| Mike Atherton | 115 | 7728 | 2 |
| Colin Cowdrey | 114 | 7624 | – |
| Geoff Boycott | 108 | 8114 | 7 |
| Kevin Pietersen | 104 | 8181 | 10 |
| Ben Stokes | 104 | 6397 | 202 |
| Ian Botham | 102 | 5200 | 383 |
| Jonny Bairstow | 100 | 6042 | – |
| Andrew Strauss | 100 | 7037 | – |
| Graham Thorpe | 100 | 6744 | – |
Key Stats
Alastair Cook, the former England Test captain, holds the record for appearing in the most Test matches in a row. Out of the 161 Tests he played, there were 159 consecutive ones’ without missing a single Test from May 2006 until his retirement in September 2018 against India. Find the list of players featured in 100 or more consecutive Test matches.
Ian Botham is easily the best all-rounder, having represented the country in the 5-day format of the game, at least on paper.
Among the current players, Joe Root is the top contender to join the nonpareil list of cricketers who have played 150 Test matches.
Alastair Cook and Joe Root top the English list of most runs in Test cricket, and the pace duo forms the top two in the wicket-taking list for England.
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