England and Australia played the first ever official game of cricket way back in 1877, and it was a test match. Thus, the history of English cricket is the oldest in the game, along with Australia’s. Earlier, these two teams used to play every game against each other before other teams also joined. England has seen many ups and downs in the game.
But they have always been among the top sides. But some batters have found it a bit easy to perform against England over the years. That’s what we will discuss here. This article will include the batters with the most test centuries against England, and most of them are Australians.
Most Centuries in Test Cricket against England
| Batter | Span | Mts | 100s | Runs | HS | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Don Bradman (AUS) | 1928-1948 | 37 | 19 | 5028 | 334 | 12 |
| Steve Smith (AUS) | 2010-2022 | 32 | 11 | 3044 | 239 | 11 |
| Garry Sobers (WI) | 1954-1974 | 36 | 10 | 3214 | 226 | 13 |
| Steve Waugh (AUS) | 1986-2003 | 46 | 10 | 3200 | 177* | 14 |
| Greg Chappell (AUS) | 1970-1983 | 35 | 9 | 2619 | 144 | 12 |
| George Headley (WI) | 1930-1954 | 16 | 8 | 1852 | 270* | 5 |
| Mahela Jayawardene (SL) | 1998-2014 | 23 | 8 | 2212 | 213* | 10 |
| Arthur Morris (AUS) | 1946-1955 | 24 | 8 | 2080 | 206 | 8 |
| Viv Richards (WI) | 1976-1991 | 36 | 8 | 2869 | 291 | 15 |
| Jacques Kallis (SA) | 1995-2012 | 31 | 8 | 2142 | 182* | 8 |
5. Greg Chappell – 9 centuries in 35 games
Almost two out of one batter in this list is from Australia. And in fifth place is former Australian legend Greg Chappell. He scored 24 centuries in his career. Against England, he played 35 games and scored 2619 runs at 45.94. He also scored nine centuries and 12 half-centuries, with a best of 144. Chappell scored more than one-third of his runs and centuries against England in his career.
4. Steve Waugh – 10 centuries in 46 games
Former Australian skipper Steve Waugh, who led Australia to ODI World Cup glory in 1999, is another player who loves scoring runs against England in both ODIs and Tests. He had a brilliant carrer with over 17000 international runs and 35 centuries. In tests against England, he scored 3200 runs in 46 games at 58.18 with 10 centuries and 14 half-centuries. His best score was 177 not out.
3. Garry Sobers – 10 centuries in 36 games
Garry Sobers was one of the best all-rounders that the game has ever seen. He won countless games to West Indies in his time with both bat and the ball. Sobers had a lucrative international career that spanned 22 years. Against England, he played 36 games in his career and scored 3214 runs at 60.64. Sobers also scored 10 centuries and 13 centuries against England, including a double century (226).
2. Steve Smith – 11 Test centuries in 32 games
Former Australian skipper Steve Smith is among the best players in the modern era. He has the second-best average in the longest format after Sir Don Bradman (99.94). Smith has scored runs against every opponent and has the most centuries (30) among the active cricketers. Meanwhile, he has played 32 games against England, mostly in the Ashes, and scored 3044 runs at 59.38. Smith has also scored 11 centuries and 11 half-centuries against them.
1. Don Bradman – 19 Test centuries in 37 games
Sir Don Bradman was the greatest of all time when it came to the longest format of the game. He was at another level as compared to any player that has played the test cricket. Bradman ended with almost an average of 100. In fact, he averaged 99.94 with 6996 runs in just 80 innings. However, he played most of his cricket against England, so he is at the top. Bradman played 37 games against them and scored 5028 runs at 89.78 with 19 centuries and 12 half-centuries.