A celebration of England Cricketers legends, highlighting the top five players who have left an indelible mark on the game with their exceptional skill, leadership, and contributions.
Len Hutton
They don’t come bigger in the history of English cricket than Len Hutton. His 18-year career finished with 19 Test centuries, including an exquisite 364 in his sixth Test, which stood as the highest Test score ever until 1958.Hutton’s career straddled the Second World War, and a badly broken arm during the war forced him to change his technique and use a smaller bat, but did little to hamper his run scoring.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Leonard Hutton |
| Born | June 23, 1916, Fulneck, England |
| Died | September 6, 1990, London, England |
| Batting Style | Right-hand bat |
| Test Debut | June 26, 1937, vs New Zealand |
| Last Test | August 19, 1955, vs Australia |
| Matches Played | 79 |
| Runs Scored (Tests) | 6,971 |
| Batting Average (Tests) | 56.67 |
| Centuries (Tests) | 19 |
| Highest Score | 364 vs Australia (1938) |
| Captaincy | 23 Tests (1952–1955) |
| Ashes Wins as Captain | 2 (1953, 1954-55) |
| First-Class Career | 513 matches, 40,140 runs |
| First-Class Average | 55.51 |
| Profession Post-Retirement | Cricket Administrator |
Kevin Pietersen
Australia were cricket betting favourites in 2005. England needed something, someone, special to defeat that great Australian team. Kevin Pietersen was a major part in that historic side and several others that followed. Controversial throughout, but a freakish, incomparable talent, Pietersen won matches for England in all formats, he dominated some of the sport’s greatest bowlers.
He was a must-watch cricketer who featured in Ashes successes and World Cup triumphs. Pietersen might not be popular, but he deserves his spot here.
| Format | Matches | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s | Highest Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 104 | 8,181 | 47.28 | 23 | 35 | 227 |
| ODI | 136 | 4,440 | 40.73 | 9 | 25 | 130 |
| T20I | 37 | 1,176 | 37.93 | 0 | 7 | 79* |
Sir Ian Botham
Only recently passed as England’s highest wicket-taker and with an Ashes series named after him, Ian Botham had a knack for the dramatic to go with the long period he spent as England’s most important player.
Botham was a star on and off the field, a celebrity away from cricket in a way that the sport rarely sees. He had a personality that could be hard to manage, but that dragged his team to improbable victories.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Ian Terence Botham |
| Born | November 24, 1955, Heswall, England |
| Role | All-rounder |
| Batting Style | Right-handed |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm fast-medium |
| Test Debut | July 28, 1977, vs. Australia |
| ODI Debut | August 26, 1976, vs. West Indies |
| Last Test | June 12, 1992, vs. Pakistan |
| Last ODI | August 24, 1992, vs. Pakistan |
| Test Matches | 102 |
| ODI Matches | 116 |
| Test Runs | 5,200 |
| ODI Runs | 2,113 |
| Test Batting Average | 33.54 |
| ODI Batting Average | 23.21 |
| Test Centuries | 14 |
| ODI Centuries | 0 |
| Test Wickets | 383 |
| ODI Wickets | 145 |
| Test Bowling Average | 28.40 |
| ODI Bowling Average | 28.54 |
| Best Test Bowling | 8/34 |
| Best ODI Bowling | 4/31 |
| Major Teams | England, Somerset, Worcestershire, Durham |
Sir Alastair Cook
England’s all-time leading run scorer became England’s longest serving captain. A career of ups and downs had more positives than negatives, yet it is the way Alastair Cook responded to adversity that reflected his character.
Close to being dropped before the 2010/11 Ashes, Cook produced a Bradman-esque series.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Sir Alastair Nathan Cook |
| Date of Birth | December 25, 1984 |
| Playing Role | Opening Batsman |
| Batting Style | Left-handed |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm off-break |
| Test Debut | March 1, 2006, vs India |
| Last Test | September 7, 2018, vs India |
| ODI Debut | June 28, 2006, vs Sri Lanka |
| Last ODI | December 19, 2014, vs Sri Lanka |
| T20I Debut | None |
| Test Matches | 161 |
| Test Runs | 12,472 |
| Test Average | 45.35 |
| Test Centuries | 33 |
| ODI Matches | 92 |
| ODI Runs | 3,204 |
| ODI Average | 36.40 |
| ODI Centuries | 5 |
| T20I Matches | – |
| Captaincy Period | 2010–2016 (Test), 2011–2014 (ODI) |
| Key Achievements | England’s highest Test run-scorer, Ashes victories |
Jack Hobbs
Jack Hobbs might as well have his own chapter in the record books. His 199 first class centuries and almost 62,000 first class runs will never be matched, and it’s hard to imagine another 46-year-old recording a Test century.
You don’t have to know who Hobbs was to bet on cricket in 2020, but he’s an important person in the history of the English game for both his country and Surrey.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Sir John Berry Hobbs |
| Born | December 16, 1882, Cambridge, England |
| Died | December 21, 1963, Hove, Sussex, England |
| Role | Opening Batsman |
| Batting Style | Right-hand bat |
| Test Debut | January 1, 1908, vs Australia |
| Last Test | August 16, 1930, vs Australia |
| Test Matches | 61 |
| Test Runs | 5,410 |
| Test Centuries | 15 |
| Test Average | 56.94 |
| First-Class Matches | 834 |
| First-Class Runs | 61,760 |
| First-Class Centuries | 199 |
| First-Class Average | 50.70 |
| Major Teams | England, Surrey, Players |
| Honors | Knighted in 1953 for services to cricket |