We take a look at the players with the most runs for England in Test Cricket history.
England's highest Test run scorers
Player | Matches | Average | Runs |
Joe Root (2012-2025) | 163* | 51.57 | 13,937* |
Alastair Cook (2006-2018) | 161 | 45.35 | 12,472 |
Graham Gooch (1975-1995) | 118 | 42.58 | 8,900 |
Alec Stewart (1990-2003) | 133 | 39.54 | 8,463 |
David Gower (1978-1992) | 117 | 44.25 | 8,231 |
Kevin Pietersen (2005-2014) | 104 | 47.28 | 8,181 |
Geoffrey Boycott (1964-1982) | 108 | 47.72 | 8,114 |
Michael Atherton (1989-2001) | 115 | 37.69 | 7,728 |
Ian Bell (2004-2015) | 118 | 42.69 | 7,727 |
Colin Cowdrey (1954-1975) | 114 | 44.06 | 7,624 |
Joe Root made history against Pakistan in October 2024 as he eclipsed Alastair Cook's career tally of 12,472 Test runs to become England's all-time leading Test run-scorer.
The Yorkshireman achieved the feat in 147 Test matches, which was 14 fewer than Cook.
Root is the only batter in England's top 10 with a 50+ average. He made his debut in 2012 and has since hit 40 centuries, which is more than any other England player.
Graham Gooch was England's leading run-scorer for 20 years until May 2015 when Cook surpassed his total of 8,900.
Cook added a further 3,572 Test runs before his retirement in 2018, with only himself and Root reaching the milestone of 10,000+ Test runs.
Alec Stewart is the highest-scoring wicketkeeper on England's all-time run charts, totalling 8,463 runs from 133 matches.
