List of England Test cricket records
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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,[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] 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 February 2023[update], they have played more Test matches than any other team, and of their 1,059 games, have won 388, drawn 354 and lost 317.[8] With 36.63 per cent of matches won, this makes England the third most successful team in the history of Test cricket, behind Australia on 47.47 per cent and South Africa on 38.20 per cent.[8][lower-alpha 3]
Opening batsman and former captain Alastair Cook holds several England Test cricket records. Playing between 2006 and 2018, he scored 12,472 runs, making him the first England player to score 10,000 Test runs.[9] He scored a record 57 half-centuries and 33 centuries.[10][11] As a slip fielder, Cook has also taken the most catches for England with 175[12] and holds the England record for the most catches taken in a Test series with 13.[13] Cook also holds the Test record for the most consecutive matches played with 159.[14]
The most successful Test wicket-taker for England is James Anderson,[15] who made his Test debut in 2003 and is currently still active. As of March 2024[update], he has played in a total of 180+ Test matches and taken a record 700 wickets for a fast bowler at Test level,[16] both records for England.[17] He has also picked up five wickets in an innings on 32 occasions, which is the most for the national side.[18] 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.[19][20] Alan Knott is England's most successful wicket-keeper, having taken 269 dismissals.[21] 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.[22][23]