100 Test matches is a feat that is considered a cricketer’s dream. Playing as long as that will almost put the cricketers’ name in the legendary status. It takes incredible consistency and fitness to reach that level. Batters must up their game every match to cement their place in the team.
As of now, there are 70 cricketers reached the milestone of 100 Test matches, and almost 50 of them are batters.
The Australian modern-day great and the greatest Test batsman of this era, Steve Smith, holds the record for scoring the most runs at the 100th Test match. He broke the long-standing record of the West Indian legend Brian Lara.
Smith is now the first player to cross 9000 Test runs before reaching his milestone of 100th Test match.
The second-placed Lara’s runs tally in the longer format was a meaty 8916 at an average of 52.14 while completing his 100th Test. Rahul Dravid, the current Indian coach and the batsman who batted the most balls in Test cricket, is the Indian player with the most long-format runs after 100 Test matches.
Now, let’s look into the list of players who have scored the most runs after playing 100 Test matches.
Most Runs after 100 Test Matches
| BATSMEN | INNINGS | RUNS | AVERAGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Smith (AUS) | 177 | 9137 | 58.94 |
| Brian Lara (WI) | 176 | 8916 | 52.14 |
| Kumar Sangakkara (SL) | 167 | 8651 | 55.81 |
| Younis Khan (PAK) | 178 | 8640 | 53.33 |
| Rahul Dravid (IND) | 169 | 8553 | 57.79 |
| Matthew Hayden (AUS) | 178 | 8508 | 51.87 |
| Virender Sehwag (IND) | 174 | 8487 | 50.51 |
| Sunil Gavaskar (IND) | 176 | 8479 | 52.33 |
| Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 160 | 8405 | 57.96 |
| Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 166 | 8253 | 57.71 |
Stats Insights
Sachin Tendulkar, the only cricketer to feature in 200 Test matches, tops the list by batting average when you sort the above list. He scored at an average of 57.96 when he crossed the 100-Tests mark. He averaged 49.77 from his last 100 Tests.
Tendulkar, along with Sunil Gavaskar and Matthew Hayden, top the list when it comes to Test centuries. All three of them accumulated 30 centuries until their 100th Test matches. Gavaskar had the most fifties (66) from his first 100 Tests.
Garry Sobers is the only player to score more than 8000 runs without getting to his 100th Test. Sobers played only 93 Tests but aggregated over 8,000 runs with a massive average of 57.78.
Former South African opener Hashim Amla, who tops the same list in ODIs, fell short of the 8000-runs mark before completing his 100th Test.
