When a batter gets a good headstart to their Test career, they need to continue with the momentum to cement their position. And what’s a better way than scoring runs and centuries consistently?
Over the years, many batters displayed their run-scoring abilities in different conditions and against varied bowling attacks in their initial matches. Some of them plundered a mountain of runs to build a solid foundation for their careers.
Here, we’ll look at the top 10 batters with the most runs after the first 20 Test matches.
Most Runs After First 20 Tests
| Player | Innings | Runs | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Don Bradman (AUS) | 30 | 2872 | 106.37 |
| George Headley (WI) | 37 | 2171 | 65.79 |
| Michael Hussey (AUS) | 33 | 2120 | 84.80 |
| Marnus Labuschagne (AUS) | 35 | 2113 | 62.15 |
| Herbert Sutcliffe (ENG) | 32 | 1975 | 68.10 |
| Eddie Barlow (SA) | 39 | 1934 | 52.27 |
| Wally Hammond (ENG) | 35 | 1919 | 61.90 |
| Viv Richards (WI) | 35 | 1890 | 57.27 |
| Doug Walters (AUS) | 32 | 1889 | 67.46 |
| Frank Worrell (WI) | 33 | 1877 | 64.72 |
Key Stats
2872: Don Bradman accumulated the most runs in the first 20 Test matches. The Australian great scored a staggering 2872 runs in 30 innings, including 13 hundreds. He is also the record holder for the post ten and fifteen Test matches periods too.
13: Bradman’s 13 hundreds, which include 5 double centuries and a triple century, are the most by any batter in the first 20 Tests. George Headley is the only other batter to score 10 Test centuries in the first 20 matches.
299: Among his 5 double centuries, Bradman remained unbeaten on 299 runs against South Africa at Adelaide in 1932. He is the only batter to remain not out on the score of 299 in Tests.
106.37: Bradman had an invincible average of 106.37 in the first 20 Tests, which is the highest by any batter.
1: Out of the 10 centuries, George Headley’s 2 centuries came at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in the same Test match against England in 1939. He scored 106 in the first innings and 107 in the second, making him the first batter to do so.
1500: Over 40 batters accumulated 1500 or more runs each in their first 20 Test matches. 4 of them scored more than 2000, with 3 of them being the Australian batters.
