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England and Australia are gearing up to play the second Ashes Test at Lord’s from June 28 to July 2. The two teams engaged in a thrilling contest in the curtain-raiser in Birmingham, which resulted in Australia winning by two wickets in the dying minutes of Day 5.
England started their summer at the same venue when they hosted Ireland for the one-off Test earlier this month. The pitch at Lord’s is considered to be high-scoring with an average of 309 in the first innings.
England’s highest total in an innings at the Home of Cricket is 653/4 (declared) against India in 1990. Overall, nine batters from the home side have scored more than 1,000 Test runs at the venue. Let’s take a look at five England batters with the most runs at Lord’s.
#5 Alec Stewart (1,476)
Alec Stewart was an exceptional player who struggled to push England in the 1990s along with Michael Atherton. The Surrey player finished his career with 8,463 runs in 133 Tests at an average of 39.54. When he retired from Test cricket in 2003, he was England’s second-highest run-scorer behind Graham Gooch (8,900), and also the most-capped Test player in England at that time.
The wicketkeeper-batter played 33 Tests against Australia from 1990 to 2003, having scored 1,810 runs at 30.67. Stewart had exceptional numbers at Lord’s - 1,476 runs at 44.73 with the help of three centuries. His best knock at the home of cricket came against Zimbabwe in 2000, where he remained unbeaten on 124 to power England to 415 with a clinical lead of 332 runs.
Stewart carried his bat at Lord’s during the second Test against Pakistan in 1992. He remained unbeaten 69 as England were bowled out for 175 in the second innings against the fiery pace duo of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. The hosts eventually lost by two wickets in what was described as a cliffhanger.
#4 Andrew Strauss (1,562)
The interesting fact about Andrew Strauss’ Test journey is that it started and ended at the same venue - Lord’s (2004 to 2012). Strauss made his Test debut in May 2004 against New Zealand at the iconic cricket venue. He returned with knocks of 112 and 83 in his maiden Test, as England chased down 282 to win by seven wickets.
Captaining England against Pakistan in 2006 in the absence of Michael Vaughan and Andrew Flintoff, Strauss made 128 in the second innings to announce his leadership credentials. His 161 against Australia in the 2009 Ashes Test at this venue helped England register a comprehensive 115-run win to take a 1-0 lead.
The southpaw amassed 1,562 runs in 18 Tests at an exceptional average of 52.06, including five tons, at Lord’s. His last significant contribution at the venue was 122 against the West Indies in May 2012, just three months prior to his retirement.
#3 Joe Root (1,680)
The former England Test captain is currently third on the list of most runs scored by an English batter at Lord’s. He has scored 1,680 runs in 35 Test innings at a terrific average of 52.50 with six fifties and five centuries to his name.
Root scored 40 and 71 in his first game at Lord’s against New Zealand in May 2013. Just two months later, he slammed a marvellous 180 against rivals Australia in the second innings as Alastair Cook’s men cruised to an emphatic 347-run victory. That was the first moment for the Yorkshireman to etch his name at the Lord’s Honours Board.
In his next Test at Lord’s, Root scored his maiden double-century (200*) against Sri Lanka in 2014. He started his England Test captaincy debut with a bang, scoring 190 against a quality pace attack of South Africa in 2017 at the home of cricket. The 32-year-old will look to add his name to the Honours Board for the sixth time in the upcoming second Ashes Test.
#2 Alastair Cook (1,937)
Sir Alastair Cook held the record for most Test appearances at Lord’s (26) until the England pace duo of James Anderson (27) and Stuart Broad (27) surpassed it in the last 10 months. The former England skipper made 1,937 runs at an average of 43.04 in those 26 Tests between 2006 and 2018.
The left-handed batter hit 105 in his second Test at Lord’s against Pakistan, where he was involved in a 233-run partnership with Paul Collingwood (186*) for the fourth wicket. It took the England opener 14 more innings to record his third Test hundred at Lord’s when he made 106 against Sri Lanka in 2011. His best contribution at the stadium happens to be the magnificent 162 versus the Black Caps in 2015, which helped England to win the game by 124 runs.
#1 Graham Gooch (2,015)
Graham Gooch was a prolific run-scorer in competitive cricket. He amassed 44,846 runs in first-class cricket at 49.01. Among them, 8,900 were scored for the England national side in 118 Tests. He retired as England’s all-time highest scorer in Tests until Alastair Cook surpassed his tally in 2015.
Gooch scored 2,015 runs in 21 Tests at Lord’s from 1975 to 1994. His six three-figure scores at the home of cricket is the most by any batter in the oldest format of the game. Gooch was sensational during his splendid knock of 333 against India in 1990, which helped England trounce the visitors by 247 runs. That knock is still England’s third-highest individual score in Tests after Len Hutton (364) and Wally Hammond (336*).
