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Who has scored the most runs in a series of four Tests or more?
Find out all you need to know about the highest run-scorers in Test series.
This list includes several notable and interesting names among the greats of Test cricket. Can Shubman Gill join them after his flying start to India’s Test series against England?
Most runs in a series in Tests – top 15 list
- Don Bradman (Australia) – 974 v England
- Wally Hammond (England) – 905 v Australia
- Mark Taylor (Australia) – 839 v England
- Neil Harvey (Australia) – 834 v South Africa
- Viv Richards (West Indies) – 829 v England
- Clyde Walcott (West Indies) – 827 v Australia
- Garry Sobers (West Indies) – 824 v Pakistan
- Don Bradman (Australia) – 810 v England
- Don Bradman (Australia) – 806 v South Africa
- Brian Lara (West Indies) – 798 v England
- Everton Weekes (West Indies) – 779 v India
- Steven Smith (Australia) – 774 v England
- Sunil Gavaskar (India) – 774 v West Indies
- Steven Smith (Australia) – 769 v India
- Alastair Cook (England) – 766 v Australia
1. Don Bradman (Australia)
- Runs: 974
- Opposition: England
- Tests: 5
Bradman was unbelievably good during the 1930 Ashes series. His huge tally included a career-best 334 at Headingley in Leeds. It will be a long time before anyone ever tops this total, if ever.
2. Wally Hammond (England)
- Runs: 905
- Opposition: Australia
- Tests: 5
Hammond really took a liking to the Australian bowlers during the 1928-29 Ashes series. This was especially evident during the 251 he hit at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
3. Mark Taylor (Australia)
- Runs: 839
- Opposition: England
- Tests: 6
It’ well worth noting this was a six-Test series – back in the day a less jampacked cricket scheduled allow for this. Taylor hit two centuries and five half-tons during the 1989 Ashes. Imagine how bigger his tally would have read had he converted a couple more of those half-tons.
4. Neil Harvey (Australia)
- Runs: 834
- Opposition: South Africa
- Tests: 5
South Africa toured Australia in 1952-53 – and Harvey took full advantage of the visitors. He gathered four centuries, including scores of 190 and 205 in Sydney and Melbourne, respectively.
5. Viv Richards (West Indies)
- Runs: 829
- Opposition: England
- Tests: 4
The first and leading West Indian on this list of most runs in a Test series, Richards achieved his feat in four matches in 1976. This included a monumental, career-best 291 at The Oval in London.
6. Clyde Walcott (West Indies)
- Runs: 827
- Opposition: Australia
- Tests: 5
Australia had little to no answer to Walcott’s dominance during 1955’s tour of the Caribbean. Walcott averaged a century per match, but not one of the five reached higher than 155.
Read more – England openers’ Test records at Lord’s since 2020: The context amid Zak Crawley’s struggles
7. Garry Sobers (West Indies)
- Runs: 824
- Opposition: Pakistan
- Tests: 5
An out-and-out all-rounder, Sobers actually didn’t do much bowling during this series in 1957-58, but made up for it by weighing in a lot with the bat. This included an enormous 356 not out in Kingston.
8. Don Bradman (Australia)
- Runs: 810
- Opposition: England
- Tests: 5
In the second account of Bradman on this list, the Australian star was at it again against England in 1936-37. This time he did it at home, rather than in the United Kingdom. His total included three centuries – and reached these lofty heights despite two ducks.
9. Don Bradman (Australia)
- Runs: 806
- Opposition: South Africa
- Tests: 5
Here’s the legend Bradman again – this time against South Africa in Australia in 1931-32. His superb form was typified during an entertaining 299 not out in Adelaide, where he ran out of partners before reaching 300.
10. Brian Lara (West Indies)
- Runs: 798
- Opposition: England
- Tests: 5
Lara in 1994 is the first instance of a player from the modern era, ostensibly, scoring the most runs in a series of four Tests or more. This was not the series that produced his record-breaking 400 not out at St John’s, but it did witness his 375 at the same venue.
11. Everton Weekes (West Indies)
- Runs: 779
- Opposition: India
- Tests: 5
Runs can be really tough to come by in sub-continental conditions, where pitches are often prepared to favour spinners over batters. This didn’t matter for Weekes, who put the Indians to the sword in 1948-49.
12. Steven Smith (Australia)
- Runs: 774
- Opposition: England
- Tests: 4
The only cricketer still playing Test cricket on this list, Smith has a remarkably good Ashes record. His best Test series against England was in 2019, when he collected three tons and as many half-centuries for a series average over 100.
13. Sunil Gavaskar (India)
- Runs: 774
- Opposition: West Indies
- Tests: 4
Gavaskar is the only Indian player on this list. Not even Sachin Tendulkar cracked the statistical nod here. Gavaskar hit four centuries in the Caribbean during this four-match affair in 1970-71.
14. Steven Smith (Australia)
- Runs: 769
- Opposition: India
- Tests: 4
That man Smith again, this time during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy of 2014-15. He hit four centuries – and came within eight runs over converting one of those into a double-ton at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
15. Alastair Cook (England)
- Runs: 766
- Opposition: Australia
- Tests: 5
The former England captain loved scoring runs against the old enemy in the Ashes. During the 2010-11 Ashes, he was at the height of his form and hit 235 not out in Brisbane. Out of interest, he topped this with 244 not out in Melbourne four years later.
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