This is a topic which we have never covered but it is a very interesting topic of conversation because England have played cricket for almost 140 years and there have been some absolute best of the best who have played for England and represented them for years and years. We will talk about them below one by one but let me say that the cricketers have only gotten better with time and this will be a look back into the glorious 140 years of cricket.

The fact that they have come from different generations and have contributed to English cricket to where it is today is a testament to their greatness. We will get into the records of each player on this list and then our readers will be able to understand why these names are here. So, let’s look at the Top 10 Greatest English Cricketers of all time.

Alastair Cook (2006-2018)

The first player on our list is simply the best ever batter that English cricket has ever produced so he had to be in this list. He only played cricket for 12 years actively but in that limited time he played a mammoth 161 Test Matches for England meaning 13 test matches every year for Cook. He was a standout batter and his batting records speak all. He batted for 291 innings for England in Test Cricket and scored 12472 runs which is far more than any other English batter and he also has 33 Test centuries to his name and 5 Test double Hundreds with his highest score being 294. The innings of 294 vs India at Edgbaston is one of the best Alastair Cook's test innings.

James Anderson (2002- 2024)

Not having Jimmy Anderson in this list would be foolish as he is the most successful fast bowler in the history of test cricket. In his 22 year career, he played 188 Test matches. In these 188 Test Matches he has bowled a massive 6672 overs and taken 704 Test wickets and he has 32 five wicket hauls in test cricket and 3 times he has taken 10 wickets in a test match. He  achieved the 700 Wicket mark in test cricket. His record of 704 test wickets will be very difficult to break by any fast bolwer in the near future. He also played the 2nd most test matches. Do check out here the Best James Anderson bowling performances in Test Cricket

Kevin Pietersen (2004-2014)

There might not be many cricketers who have only played 10 years but are in the greatest of all time list and the fact that Kevin Pietersen is in shows that how incredible he was. He played both ODIs and test cricket very well for England. In Test cricket he played 104 Test Matches and in those test matches he scored 8181 runs at an average of 47.29 and he has scored 23 Test hundreds and 3 double Hundreds as well in test cricket. In ODIs, he played 136 ODI Matches for England and he scored 4440 runs for England at an average of over 40 with 9 ODI hundreds. He also played 37 T20I Matches for England and at a very good average of 37.94 he scored 1176 runs. Take a look here at best innings of Kevin Pieterson

Wally Hammond (1927-1947)

One of the greatest hitters of the 1920s for England when it was the era of Bradman was Wally Hammond and he scored lots of runs every time he played for England. He played for 20 years and in those 20 years he played 85 Test Matches for England and he scored 7249 runs at an astounding average of 58.46 and je scored 22 Test hundreds and also 7 Double Hundreds and he also had a Triple hundred in test cricket for England. He was one of the best. Hammond’s highest score of 336* vs New Zealand is considered one the best test innings at that time.

Leonard Hutton (1937-1955)

In the same era as Wally Hammond there was another batter who was one of the best of all time and he played for 18 years and he played 79 Test Matches for England and in those Matches he scored 6971 runs at an average of 56.67 and he has 19 Test hundreds along with 4 test double hundred and a highest score of 364 in test cricket.

Fred Trueman (1952-1965)

Fred Trueman was one of the best England Bowlers of all time and he played in an era where the pitches were uncovered and he had to use his skills to take Wickets. He played a total of 67 tea matches and he took 307 test Wickets at an average of just 21.58 with 17 Five wicket hauls and 3 Ten wicket hauls in his illustrious career.

Graham Gooch (1975-1995)

Graham Gooch is one of the best England cricketers of all time and he dominated the world scene for 20 years and in an era when the Bowlers were the best in the world. He played 118 Test Matches and in those he scored 8900 runs at a very good average of 42.58 with 20 Test hundreds along with 2 double Hundreds and a highest score of 333. He also played 125 ODIs for England and he scored 4290 runs at an average of 36.98 and he got 8 ODI hundreds in his career. Check here for Best Graham Gooch innings

Ian Botham (1976-1992)

Sir Ian Botham is perhaps the greatest all round cricketer who has played for England ever. He was an anomaly in the England setup and he was great in both Battista and bowling in both formats of the game. He played 102 Test Matches and he scored 5200 runs at an average of 33.55 with 14 Test hundreds. In those 102 test matches he got 383 test wickets for England in which he had 27 Five wicket hauls and 4 times he has taken 10 wickets in a match. In the ODI format he played 116 ODIs for England and he scored 2113 runs and he took 145 ODI wickets for England. For his best performances, visit Top 5 Ian Botham Best Performances

Joe Root (2012-Now)

Joe Root has been the best batter for England in all the 3 formats put together and not having him in this list would have been unfair. He has only played this sport for 10 years yet his numbers are incredible and he will go a long way before he is finished. He has played 141 test matches till now and he has got 11804 test runs so far at an incredible average of 49.80 and he has 31 Test hundreds along with 5 double Hundreds in test cricket and he will add more runs to this when he’s done. In ODIs he has played 171 ODIs till now and he has scored 6522 runs at an average of 47.60 and he has 16 ODI hundreds to his name till now. Check here top 10 best innings of Joe Root in Test Cricket

Stuart Broad (2006- 2023)

The last player on our list is the great Stuart Broad who like Jimmy Anderson is one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time regardless of country. He is still playing test cricket and he has played 152 Test Matches for England till now and he has taken 537 Test wickets till now and he can reach the 600 wicket mark by the end of his career. He has also scored 3412 test runs with a highest score of 169. He has played 121 ODI Matches and 56 T20I Matches for England and he has taken 178 and 65 wickets respectively in both formats.