Over the years, the Ashes series has produced a handful of phenomenal batting performances, but which batsmen have scored the highest runs in the famous England versus Australia cricket rivalry?
Broadly considered the greatest Test rivalry in the history of cricket—the Ashes—where legends are born. This series is one of the oldest rivalries that the sport has witnessed—Australia squaring off against England always grabs the news headlines, and when they play against each other in Tests, the stakes shoot for the stars. The Ashes produce several cricket legends, and we are about to look at six batsmen who hold the record for scoring the highest runs in the Ashes series.
Runs: 3,173
For the English team, the memories of playing against Waugh are particularly painful, even though the legendary player was defeated in his first Ashes series (1986–87). Following the crushing defeat, Waugh’s team won eight Ashes series consecutively until his last campaign in 2003.
Despite never scoring a double century and holding six ducks while playing against England, Waugh’s overall performance remains prominent to date. He scored 14 fifties, 10 centuries, and an outstanding batting average of 58.75.
Runs: 3,037
In the long-reigning history of the Ashes series, David Gower is celebrated as the second-highest run-scorer of the English team. In the 1985 series, held at Edgbaston, his exceptional innings of 215 was not just his highest runs in the Ashes but also the best performance of his overall stellar career.
During the Ashes of 1985, Gower scored three centuries and led England to an impressive 3-1 series win. At the time of his last appearance in the Ashes of 1991, Gower held nine unforgettable centuries against Australia.
Runs: 3,222
The former Aussie captain, Allan Border holds seven centuries against England—and in his final Ashes series in 1993 at Headingley—he scored an impressive double century not out—in the fourth Test.
Border’s consistency and longevity helped him emerge as one of the highest-ranking players in the Ashes. The legendary batsman had played 73 innings against England and registered an aggregate of 26 half-centuries—averaging an outstanding 55.55.
Runs: 3,417
In the Ashes series of 2023, Steve Smith surpassed fellow Aussie legends Steve Waugh and Allan Border. The Relentless champ has scored 12 centuries in the prestigious tournament—the highest run scored by any player on either team since the retirement of Don Bradman in 1948.
Smith added 13 fifties against England and scored an average of 58.61 runs during his astonishing Test career. This Aussie hero has tormented the English players away and at home.
He is often praised for scoring three double centuries against their fierce foes—two of them occurred on English soil (at Lord’s and Old Trafford, in 2015 and 2019, respectively). However, Smith delivered his best performance in 2017—in Perth—scoring an outstanding 239 from 399 balls.
Runs: 3,636
Jack Hobbs’ career as an Ashes player spanned 22 years, and 1930 marked its end when Don Bradman arrived to make his appearance on the international scene. Hobbs is another notable batting legend of that era—delivering 12 centuries against Australia—and he is still the only player other than Don, who has topped 3,500 runs in the Ashes.
Rus: 5,028
Perhaps it is no surprise that Sir Donald Bradman, the Australian legend is widely recognized as the best Test batsman of all time, and his Ashes runs are for the history books. Bradman scored an incredible total of 5,028 runs against England.
Don Bradman played the Ashes 37 times and appeared in 63 innings against the English team, scoring 19 jaw-dropping hundreds—still an unbreakable record in the history of the series. On July 11, 1930, Bradman scored a triple-century, recording 334 from 448 balls at Headingley.
These English and Aussie batsmen are no less than gods in the world of cricket—and some of their astonishing records are yet to be surpassed in the history of the Ashes.
