Table of Contents
Joe Root set a new record for the most Test centuries by an England batsman when he registered his 34th century against Sri Lanka at Lord’s.
That record previously belonged to Alastair Cook, who still holds England’s all-time run record, although Root is only 95 behind.
But who is the best English batsman of all time?
Where do Root and Cook stand in England’s all-time batting hall of fame?
Mail Sport’s LAWRENCE BOOTH counts down his top 10 below.
England legend Joe Root pictured celebrating after completing his 34th Test century last week
10 Geoff Boycott: 8,114 runs at 47.72
Boycott may argue that he should be higher up, and it is true that few cricketers have earned such a cult following. In Yorkshire, he is still regarded by many as a minor deity. Armed with one of the most solid defences in the history of the game, he was for a time Test cricket’s leading run-scorer, surpassing Garry Sobers at Delhi in 1981-82. And his 22 centuries included one of England’s most famous – his 100th in first-class cricket, against Australia on his home ground at Headingley in 1977. After getting there with a drive from Greg Chappell, he was mobbed by his adoring home crowd and smiled that crooked smile.
9 Kevin Pietersen: 8,181 races at 47.28
His record was remarkably similar to Boycott’s, but it was a failure for the Yorkshireman. Pietersen was one of the great innovators, distracting traditionalists and deploying his trademark “flamingo” with his back foot in the air. His 158 at The Oval in 2005 was the crowning glory of one of the greatest series, and in 2012 he scored three centuries in strokes of genius: Colombo, Headingley, Mumbai. Like Boycott, he did not always endear himself to his team-mates, and he famously caused a meltdown with his text messages to the South Africans. But it is hard to think of an English batsman more worth watching.
Kevin Pietersen pictured celebrating after hitting a double century in an Ashes Test in 2010
8 Alastair Cook: 12,472 runs at 45.35
From his first Test (60 and 104 not out against India at Nagpur in 2005-06) to his last (71 and 147 against India at The Oval in 2018), Cook took mental strength to new heights. He possessed three main scoring shots: a cut, a pull, a push to the leg side. But he was a superb player of spin – witness his 562 runs at 80 while captaining England to victory in India in 2012-13. And his series haul of 766 for 127 during the triumphant 2010-11 Ashes tour remains a high point for English batting. He retired from Tests at 33, leaving fans – but not bowlers – wanting more.
7 Denis Compton: 5,807 runs at 50.06
Compton was more than just one of the most elegant and spontaneous batsmen ever to represent England. He was a booster of post-war morale (Neville Cardus said there was “no rationing in an innings by Compton”) and cricket’s first star of the television age, the game’s Brylcreem boy. He typically scored the winning runs, with his trademark sweep shot, as England regained the Ashes in 1953 after a 20-year wait. His 3,816 first-class runs in 1947 are a record that will never be surpassed, while his troublesome knee became a national obsession. The surgeon who eventually removed his kneecap donated it to Lord’s.
6 Herbert Sutcliffe: 4,555 runs at 60.73
No England player has averaged more in Test cricket than the unflappable, urbane Sutcliffe; nor has a regular opener of any nationality. His prolific partnership with Jack Hobbs was central to the Ashes successes of 1926 and 1928–29, and Australians grew tired of the sight of him: in seven Test innings, at the MCG, he scored four centuries and averaged 103. His other famous opening partner was Yorkshire’s Percy Holmes: his stand of 555 against Essex at Leyton in 1932 remained a world first-wicket record for almost 45 years. As Wisden put it: “He never knew a season of failure.”
Herbert Sutcliffe pictured (right) coming out to bat against Australia in the 1926 Ashes series
5 Ken Barrington: 6,806 runs at 58.67
It was the Australian wicketkeeper Wally Grout who best summed up Barrington’s patriotism and determination: “Every time I saw Ken come to the wicket I thought he had a Union Jack behind him.” Barrington spent most of his career trying to prop up England in the 1960s, and rarely failed. As well as being a solid No 3 or 4, he was one of the best-loved characters in English cricket, and the game was in mourning when he died of a heart attack aged 50 at the team hotel in Barbados, where he was England’s assistant coach on the 1980–81 tour of the West Indies.
4 Len Hutton: 6,971 runs at 56.67
Hutton was just 22 and playing only his sixth Test when he scored a world-record 364 against Australia at The Oval in 1938. England declared at 903 for seven, still their highest total, and Hutton entered folklore. After suffering a gymnasium injury while training as a commando during the war, his left arm became two inches shorter than his right, but the runs continued to flow. And in 1954-55, he achieved the holy grail of English cricket, retaining the urn in Australia. No one has ever scored more runs as a Test opener at a higher average.
Len Hutton scored a world record 364 against Australia at The Oval in 1938
3 Wally Hammond: 7,249 runs at 58.45
If a robot were built by borrowing the strokes of real-life cricketers, Hammond’s drive would be one of the first to enter the matrix. Had Don Bradman not come along, Hammond might have been considered the world’s greatest player. As if to prove the point, Hammond’s 905 runs in the 1928-29 Ashes, including two double hundreds, 177 and 119 not out, have been eclipsed only once: by Bradman in the return series in England 18 months later. In successive innings in New Zealand, Hammond once made unbeaten 227 and 336. He could be temperamental, but he was a machine.
2 Joe Root: 12,377 runs at 50.93
This summer Root has taken his batting to another level and broken records for fun. Since losing his wicket to a setback at Rajkot in the winter, he has averaged 88 in Tests, and has rarely looked so comfortable in his skin. By surpassing Cook’s England record of 33 Test centuries with two hundreds against Sri Lanka at Lord’s last week, Root made the extraordinary seem ordinary. He will spend the rest of his career being asked if he can surpass Sachin Tendulkar’s haul of 15,921, and quietly downplay it – until the day he does.
Root shook hands with Alastair Cook (second from left) after breaking his record of 33 Test tons.
1 Jack Hobbs: 5,410 runs at 56.94
When Wisden chose its Five Cricketers of the Century in 2000, Hobbs was the only Englishman. He would have won prizes for modesty, too, as he often gave away his wicket after scoring one of the 199 hundreds he ended up making in all first-class cricket. A dozen of those were against Australia, an English Ashes record, and he played the last of 61 Tests at the age of 47. He was called “The Maestro”, and is still celebrated at a special lunch every December 16, his birthday, where club members eat his favourite food: tomato soup, roast lamb and apple pie.