England top run-getters in Tests: How the record changed hands over time

Alastair Cook recently became the leading run-scorer for England in Tests © Getty Images

Finally, someone has overtaken Graham Gooch’s record of most Test runs for England. Bharath Seervi lists how the record of the most Test runs for England has changed hands since 1877 before Alastair Cook finally took over.

Alastair Cook, at 30 years and 156 days, has become the leading run-getter for England in Test cricket surpassing Gooch’s figure of 8,900 runs. Gooch retired with 8,900 from 118 Tests in February 1995 at an age of over 41. His tally remained intact for 20 years before Cook got there with a four off Tim Southee on the second day of the Headingley test. Cook had scored a brilliant 162 in the second inning of the previous Test at Lord’s, and started the Headingley Test with 32 short of Gooch’s mark.

It is a remarkable feat to be England’s top-run getter at 30, if one keeps in mind that most batsmen have reached there after turning 35. Gooch himself became England’s leading run-scorer a month after his 40th birthday overtaking David Gower’s 8,231 on August 21, 1993.

England have been playing test cricket since its inception in 1877 along with Australia. Three Australians have scored more than 10,000 runs but no Englishman has made it to even the 9,000-mark. Cook is on the way to become the first Englishman to 9,000 runs, and more if everything goes good.

Let us see since how the record for most Test runs for England has changed hands since 1877.

Most test runs for England – Progression of the record

*-Batsmen were surpassed without having retired.

Harry Jupp had faced the first ball in Test cricket for England and scored the first fifty. He scored 63, and another 4 in the second innings to finish with 67 runs after the first ever Test played on March 15, 1877 at MCG.

In the second Test match George Ulyett overtook Jupp as the highest run-getter for England. He remained at the top till 1886. Arthur Shrewsbury surpassed Ulyett when he scored 799, and became the first batsman to complete 1,000 runs in Test cricket. Shrewsbury ended his test career with 1,277 runs. He was overtaken by Archie MacLaren in 1901. MacLaren was eclipsed at 1,820 runs by Tom Hayward who ended his career with one short of 2,000 runs.

Till 1912, Hayward had the record until Jack Hobbs scored his 2000th run. Hobbs got to the top just before World War I, and remained at the top until Wally Hammond surpassed him just before World War II. Hobbs was the first to score 2,000, 3,000, 4,000 and 5,000 runs for England and retired with 5,410 runs against his name. In 1937, Hammond got past Hobbs, and later became the first to complete 6,000 and 7,000 Test runs in the world. Hammond was not beaten chased until 1970, when Colin Cowdrey scored his 7250th run. Cowdrey held the record till 1981.

In 1981, Geoff Boycott got past Colin Cowdrey’s 7,624 runs and became the first Englishman to score 8,000 Test runs. His 8,114 runs were a record for about 11 years till 1992 when Gower got past him and ended his career with 8,231 runs. Just a couple of years later Gooch got there and played till 1995, finishing on 8,900 runs. Gooch remained England’s top run scorer for about 22 years.

-          Hammond had the longest duration at the top (12,208 days), followed by his predecessor Hobbs for (9,074 days) and Gooch (7,951 days).

-          Ulyett, Shrewsbury, MacLaren, Hobbs, Hammond, Cowdrey and Boycott were the highest Test run-scorers during their eras.

-          From 1924 to 1972, for 48 years, the highest run-getters in Test cricket were all Englishmen — Hobbs, Hammond and Cowdrey. Cook is not even the top 10!

How many days would Cook hold the record? Only time can say.

Footnote Trivia — Alastair Cook is the second youngest in 100 years

In the last 100 years of England cricket, Alastair Cook (30 years 156 days) is the second-youngest to have the record of the most Test runs for England.  He is 272 days short of Hobbs, who became England’s highest run-getter before he turned 30. However, Hobbs had scored 2,000 runs at that age while Cook has nearly 9,000 runs.

(Bharath Seervi is a cricket statistician who is obsessed with digging numbers, facts and records related to the game. An active member of Society of Cricket Statisticians of India, he blogs at www.cricketseervistats.blogspot.com. He can be followed on Twitter at @SeerviBharath and on Facebook here)