The World Test Championship, the premier competition in Test cricket, involves a two-year cycle where teams will play Test matches against others with the top two teams in the points table at the end of the cycle contesting in the Final.

The current edition of the WTC began with the Ashes series between England and Australia in June 2023 with the Final being scheduled in June 2025 at England.

India is the only team to have played in consecutive Finals of the WTC in 2021 and 2023 but unfortunately ended up on the losing side on both occasions. The Men in Blue lead the charts in the WTC 2023-2025 edition too and are in pole position to qualify for a historic third-straight Final in 2025.

WTC has given Test cricket a much-needed fillip and context that it has been searching for long. With points up for grabs in every match, teams have started pushing for wins irrespective of the result of the series. 

Batters have also started to become more positive with teams preferring a win over a draw. As a result, they have piled on the runs in the longest format, in quick time too, after the introduction of the WTC.

In this article, we glance through the list of batters with the most runs in the history of the WTC.

Most runs in WTC history: List of players with most runs in the World Test Championship

Player	Span	Matches	Runs	Average	High Score	Hundreds
Joe Root	2019-2024	57	4948	52.08	228	16
Marnus Labuschagne	2019-2024	45	3904	52.05	215	11
Steve Smith	2019-2024	45	3486	50.52	211	9
Ben Stokes	2019-2024	48	3101	37.81	176	7
Babar Azam	2019-2024	31	2725	52.40	196	8
Usman Khawaja	2019-2024	32	2686	49.74	195*	7
Zak Crawley	2019-2024	41	2560	34.59	267	4
Rohit Sharma	2019-2024	32	2552	50.03	212	9
Travis Head	2019-2024	41	2510	39.84	175	6
David Warner	2019-2024	38	2423	37.27	335*	5

Joe Root | 4948 runs

Joe Root leads the way in the list of top scorers in the history of the WTC after it was introduced in 2019. The England batter has amassed 4948 runs from 57 matches, including 16 hundreds and 20 fifties, at an impressive average of 52.08. 

Root finished second on the list of top-scorers in the inaugural edition of the WTC from 2019 to 2021 before jumping to the top spot in the next edition. In the current edition too, he is on top of the pile with 1373 runs from just 15 matches.

Root made history by becoming the England batter with the most Test Hundreds when he scored centuries in both innings of the second Test against Sri Lanka in August 2024 to move to 34 centuries in the longest format of the game.

Marnus Labuschagne | 3904 runs

Marnus Labuschagne is second on the list of top run-getters in the history of the WTC with 3904 runs from 45 matches at an average of 52.05. The Aussie has also scored 11 centuries in the WTC.

Labuschagne, who came into the side as a concussion substitute for Steve Smith in the 2019 Ashes series against England, received the opportunity that came his way with both hands. He finished as the top-scorer in the first WTC cycle from 2019 to 2021 with 1675 runs at an astonishing average of 72.82.

Labuschagne also played a key role in taking Australia to the WTC title in 2023 finishing third in the list of top run-scorers in that cycle.

Steve Smith | 3486 runs

Steve Smith, with 3486 runs from 45 matches, is third on the list of players with the most runs in the history of the WTC. Smith has also scored nine hundreds and 17 fifties at an average of 50.52 in the World Test Championship.

Smith was third in the list of top run-getters in the first WTC cycle and also played a crucial role in the Final of the WTC 2023 to help Australia beat India. He scored a brilliant century in the first innings and along with Travis Head batted India out of the contest.

Ben Stokes | 3101 runs

Ben Stokes is fourth on the list of batters with the most runs in the WTC with 3101 runs from 48 matches at an average of 37.81. The southpaw has seven hundreds and 16 half-centuries to his name in the competition.

Stokes�superhuman effort, scoring an unbeaten 135, at Headingley where he single-handedly won the 2019 Ashes Test against Australia by a solitary wicket was one for the ages. 

The England captain almost repeated the act in the Lord’s Test in Ashes 2023 but was dismissed for 155 as England fell short by 43 runs.

Photo credit: Imago

India’s Virat Kohli holds the record for the most international centuries among active players. 

Since his international debut in a one-day international (ODI) against Sri Lanka in August 2008, Virat Kohli has already slammed 80 international hundreds so far.

Former England cricket team captain Joe Root has the second-most international centuries among active players. The right-handed batter has hit 50 international centuries.

Australia’s opening batter David Warner has the second-most international centuries among active players. The southpaw has hit 49 international centuries.

The likes of Australia's David Warner (49), India's Rohit Sharma (48) and Kane Williamson (45) of New Zealand complete the top five list for the most international centuries among active players.

Legendary India batter Sachin Tendulkar has the incredible record for the most centuries in international cricket. The former right-handed batter smashed 100 hundreds across three formats of the game.

Know the top 10 list of most international centuries among active players:

Most international centuries among active players

Player	Team	100s
Virat Kohli	India	80
Joe Root	England	50
David Warner	Australia	49
Rohit Sharma	India	47
Kane Williamson	New Zealand	45
Steve Smith	Australia	44
Babar Azam	Pakistan	31
Quinton de Kock	South Africa	28
Tamim Iqbal	Bangladesh	25
Shikhar Dhawan	India	24

Virat Kohli | 80 centuries

Former India captain Virat Kohli has the most international centuries among active players. Since 2008 , the Indian star batter has slammed 50 hundreds in ODI cricket. Kohli has hit 29 Test hundreds so far. The right-handed batter has also registered one T20 international ton. Overall, Kohli has 80 centuries in international cricket.

Joe Root | 50 centuries

England talisman Joe Root features second on the list for the most international centuries among active players. Since his international debut in 2012, Joe Root has slammed 50 centuries so far. The stylish right-handed batter has hit 34 Test hundreds while registering 16 ODI centuries. However, he is yet to slam a T20 international hundred.

David Warner | 49 centuries

Flamboyant Australia batter David Warner features third on the list for the most international centuries among active players. The two-time ICC ODI World Cup winner has 22 hundreds in the 50-over format. The left-hander has recorded 26 Test hundreds. Warner has hammered one T20I century so far. Between 2009 and 2023, Warner has registered 49 international centuries.

Rohit Sharma | 48 centuries

Next in line is India cricket team captain Rohit Sharma. Between 2007 and 2024, Rohit Sharma has hit 48 centuries in international cricket. The swashbuckling opening batter has the third-most hundreds in ODI format with 31 centuries, only behind Virat Kohli (50) and Sachin Tendulkar (49). Rohit has also recorded 12 Test hundreds and five T20I tons - the joint most by any player in the shortest format.  

Kane Williamson | 45 centuries

Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson completes the top five list for the most international centuries among active players. Kane Williamson has slammed 32 centuries in Test cricket. The right-handed batter has also hit 13 ODI hundreds so far. However, Williamson is yet to record a T20I hundred. Overall, the New Zealand talisman has recorded 45 centuries in international cricket. 

Photo credit: Alamy

The ICC World Test Championship is the international championship of Test cricket.

Also referred to as the Test World Cup, the ICC World Test Championship is a league competition run by the International Cricket Council (ICC) since its inception in 2019.

The ICC World Test Championship was introduced in line with ICC’s goal of having one pinnacle tournament for each of the three formats of international cricket, and is currently the premier championship for Test cricket.

The inaugural edition of the World Test Championship began with the 2019 Ashes series and concluded with New Zealand beating India in the final to clinch the maiden WTC title in June 2021.

The second World Test Championship commenced in August 2021 with the Pataudi Trophy series and culminated with Australia lifting the trophy after defeating India in the final in June 2023.

The third edition of the World Test Championship began in 2023 and will conclude with the finals in England in the summer of 2025.

In this article, we take a look at the players with the most hundreds in WTC history.

Most hundreds in WTC history: Know players with most centuries in the World Test Championship

Player	Span	Matches	Runs	Hundreds
Joe Root (ENG)	2019-2024	57	4948	16
Marnus Labuschagne (AUS)	2019-2024	45	3904	11
Kane Williamson (NZ)	2019-2024	23	2289	10
Rohit Sharma (IND)	2019-2024	32	2552	9
Steve Smith (AUS)	2019-2024	45	3486	9
Dhananjaya de Silva (SL)	2019-2024	26	2043	8
Babar Azam (PAK)	2019-2024	31	2714	8
Usman Khawaja (AUS)	2019-2024	32	2686	7
Ben Stokes (ENG)	2019-2024	48	3101	7
Dimuth Karunaratne (SL)	2019-2024	28	2355	6

Joe Root | 16 hundreds

England’s Joe Root holds the record for the most hundreds in WTC history. Between 2019 and 2024, Joe Root has slammed 16 hundreds in the World Test Championship. The stylish right-handed batter also has scored the record for the most runs in WTC history. Since 2019, the former England captain has amassed 4,948 runs in 57 matches at an average of 52.63. Apart from 16 hundreds, Root has notched up 20 fifties in the World Test Championship.

Marnus Labuschagne | 11 hundreds

Marnus Labuschagne is second on the list for the most hundreds in WTC history. The Australian cricketer has registered 11 hundreds in the World Test Championship. He played a key role in guiding Australia to the WTC title in 2023. The middle-order batter has accumulated 3,904 runs in 45 Tests at an average of 52.92. He has also hit 19 half-centuries in the marquee ICC competition. 

Kane Williamson | 10 hundreds

Former New Zealand cricket team captain Kane Williamson features third on the list for the most hundreds in WTC history. Between 2019 and 2024, Kane Williamson has recorded 10 hundreds in the World Test Championship. The right-handed batter has scored 2,289 runs in just 23 Tests at an impressive average of 63.58. He has also slammed three fifties in the World Test Championship.

Rohit Sharma | 9 hundreds

Among Indian cricketers, Rohit Sharma has registered the most hundreds in WTC history. The Indian cricket team captain has hit nine hundreds in the World Test Championship between 2019 and 2024. India’s swashbuckling opening batter has amassed 2,552 runs in 32 Tests at an average of 50.03. Apart from nine centuries, Rohit has hit seven fifties in the three editions of the WTC so far.

Photo credit: Imago

Australia's Steve Smith and New Zealand's Kane Williamson hold the record for the most hundreds in Test cricket among the ‘Fab Four�with 32 tons each.

The Fab Four - short for ‘Fabulous Four�- is a term coined by cricket pundits, which clubs together the top four Test batters of the modern era - India’s Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson.

While Smith has now hit 32 Test tons, Williamson also has notched 32 Test centuries since making his debut in 2010. In March 2023, he also became the only Kiwis player to hit six double centuries in the format when he achieved the feat against Sri Lanka.

Former England captain Joe Root is second on the list. Root is the first batter among the ‘Fab Four�to breach the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket. He achieved the feat in the first Test against New Zealand at the Lord’s in 2022.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli has scored 29 Test centuries in his red-ball cricket career so far.

He is currently the fourth-most prolific batter among the ‘Fab Four�with more than 8,000 runs in red-ball cricket. 

Australia’s Steve Smith earlier equalled Virat Kohli’s tally for centuries with a 226-ball 131 that helped his team secure a draw against India in Sydney in 2021. 

However, what makes Steve Smith stand out among the other 'Fab Four' batters is his batting average. The former Australia captain has scored more than 9,000 runs in over 100 Test matches at an average of almost 60, making him the most consistent batter among the rest.

Fab Four in Test cricket: Most hundreds 

Player	Runs	Hundreds	Double hundreds	Career span
Steve Smith	9,634	32	4	2010-2024
Kane Williamson	8,666	32	6	2010-2024
Joe Root	11,599	31	5	2012-2024
Virat Kohli	8,848	29	7	2011-2024

Featured photo: ISHARA S. KODIKARA / AFP

Scoring a hundred in Test cricket is one of the most difficult challenges for batters. Most players are pleased if they get a handful of centuries over the course of their careers.

However, certain players who are legends of the game make it a habit of scoring centuries in Tests once established on the international stage.

While going about their century-making exploits, some players tend to favour playing against certain nations more than others.

The King of Cricket Virat Kohli’s record against Australia is a prime example of this. Similar to Kohli’s dominance against Australia, some players tend to favour batting against India more than others.

While playing in India, especially in Tests is no easy task some players have excelled in doing so both at home and away on the subcontinent’s tricky spin-friendly surfaces.

Here, we have a look at those players who have good records against India in Tests. Australia’s Steve Smith and England’s Joe Root hold the record for most hundreds against India in Tests.

Most hundreds against India in Tests

Player	Runs	Hundreds	Fifties
Steve Smith (Australia)	2008	9	5
Joe Root (England)	2526	9	10
Sir Garry Sobers (West Indies)	1920	8	7
Sir Vivian Richards (West Indies)	1927	8	7
Ricky Ponting (Australia)	2555	8	12

Steve Smith - 9 centuries against India

Australia’s talismanic batter Steve Smith has recorded the most hundreds against India in Test cricket. The right-hander has managed to score nine centuries against India at a terrific average of 66.93. He’s scored 2,008 runs in 19 matches against the Indians and also boasts five fifties against them. Steve Smith has a highest score of 192 against India and has proven to be a thorn in the side of the Asian powerhouses over the years.

Joe Root - 9 centuries against India

Like Steve Smith, former England captain Joe Root also has nine hundreds against India in the Test arena. Root has scored a total of 2,526 runs against India in 25 Tests and has got his runs at an average of 63.15. His highest score against India in Tests is 218 and Root has also got 10 fifties against them, which is double the number of half-centuries that Steve Smith has against the same opposition.

Garry Sobers - 8 centuries against India

Third on the list for most hundreds against India in Test cricket is West Indies legend Sir Garry Sobers. The Caribbean great enjoyed batting against the Indians during his playing days and played a total of 18 matches against them. Garry Sobers scored as many as eight centuries against India and averaged a stunning 83.47 against the Indians. He also managed seven half-centuries against India and made a highest score of 198 against them while scoring 1,920 runs at their expense.

Photo credit: Alamy

England pacer Stuart Broad holds the record of bowling the most expensive over in Test cricket.

Broad conceded 35 runs off an over during England’s rescheduled fifth Test against India at the Edgbaston in Birmingham, in 2022.

Batting at number 10, India’s stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah smashed 29 runs off Broad’s over, courtesy of four fours and two sixes. During that expensive over, Broad also conceded five wides, a no-ball and a single on the last ball as he gave away the most runs off an over in Test cricket.

Broad started the over by conceding a four as tailender Bumrah top-edged a short-pitched delivery towards fine leg. On the second delivery, the England fast bowler bowled a bouncer but it was too high as wicket-keeper Sam Billings failed to collect the ball and ended up conceding five wides.

Under pressure Broad then conceded a six off a no-ball as Bumrah managed to top-edge it over the keeper as it sailed over the boundary.

Things went from bad to worse as Bumrah hammered Broad for three consecutive fours in the next three balls. After Bumrah smashed a juicy full toss towards mid-on for a boundary and later inside-edged a four to fine leg, he followed it up by clobbering a length across the fence.

Bumrah later smashed a six over long-leg and then took a quick single as Broad ended up bowling the most expensive over in Test cricket.

Interestingly, Broad also holds the record of bowling the joint-most expensive over in T20I cricket. 

India’s Yuvraj Singh had smashed six sixes off an over during an ICC T20 World Cup encounter in Durban in 2007. 

Broad shares the record of bowling the most expensive over in T20I along with Sri Lanka’s Akila Dhananjaya, who was also hammered for six sixes off an over by West Indies�Kieron Pollard in 2021.

Meanwhile, Bumrah also broke the record of West Indies legend Brian Lara for scoring the most runs off an over in Test cricket. Lara had smashed South Africa’s Robin Peterson for 28 runs in 2003, which was also the most expensive over in Test cricket before Bumrah’s heroics.

Previously, Australia’s George Bailey and Keshav Maharaj have also hit 28 runs off an over in Tests.

While Bailey hammered England fast bowler James Anderson for 28 runs, Maharaj smashed the same tally off England’s Joe Root.

Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh also features in the list of most expensive overs in Test cricket.

Pakistan swashbuckling batter Shahid Afridi smashed 27 runs off Harbhajan’s over during a Test match in Lahore in 2006.

Harbhajan conceded 27 off an over as Afridi clobbered four consecutive sixes and followed it up with a double and a single.

Most expensive over in Test cricket

Bowler	Batter	Runs conceded	 Over	Venue	Year
Stuart Broad (England)	Jasprit Bumrah (India)	35	4w4nb644461	Birmingham	2022
Robin Peterson (South Africa)	Brian Lara (West Indies)	28	466444	Johannesburg	2003
James Anderson (England)	George Bailey (Australia)	28	462466	Perth	2013
Joe Root (England)	Keshav Maharaj (South Africa)	28	44466b4	Port Elizabeth	2020
Harbhajan Singh (India)	Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)	27	666621	Lahore	2006
Younis Khan (Pakistan)	Craig McMillan (New Zealand)	26	444464	Hamilton	2001
Danish Kaneria (Pakistan)	Brian Lara (West Indies)	26	406664	Multan	2006
Paul Harris (South Africa)	Mitchell Johnson (Australia)	26	446066	Johannesburg	2009
Suranga Lakmal (Sri Lanka)	Brendon McCullum (New Zealand)	26	466046	Christchurch	2014
Malinda Pushpakumara (Sri Lanka)	Hardik Pandya (India)	26	446660	Pallekele	2017

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With one win in 17 tests, the English cricket team found itself in a similar situation a month ago. It was deja vu - a lack of structure, inconsistent performances and management issues all coming to the fore. 

Fortunately, English cricket has been here before in white-ball cricket, and are looking to repeat the formula for red-ball cricket this time.

Brendon McCullum's hiring instantly revived interest in England. And with the stylish and effective all-rounder Ben Stokes as the new captain, the New Zealand-born pair aim to take English test cricket to the top. 

Following coaching positions in the Indian and Caribbean T20 Leagues, TV punditry, and a breakfast radio show back in New Zealand, 40-year-old Baz has reportedly given up a "wonderful life" in order to accept England's call. England has once again hired a New Zealander as their Test coach after searching abroad. Peter Moores (twice) and Chris Silverwood are the only Englishmen to have held the position since 1999. They are also the only England coaches to have indisputably failed throughout that time, for whatever reason.

However, McCullum's "grunty" aspirations were lured by the England white-ball revolution under the leadership of his dear friend Eoin Morgan and the potential for doing something similar with the Test side. 

McCullum is likely to make an impression on England regarding the value of the competitive spirit. "I don't see the need to play in any other way," he said last week to the BBC. "There is a mutual respect that should be across all teams. You still play hard on the field, but there are certain lines you don't need to cross." It will be up to McCullum and new captain Ben Stokes to give the England team, which has endured too much cricketing anonymity, something more than just a nice guy mentality.

Previous coach Chris Silverwood and captain Joe Root spoke of "huge first-inning runs" under the previous administration as if they had just formulated a new, robust game plan. It is reminiscent of a dated style of play in white-ball cricket prior to the 2019 World Cup.

For all of his strengths as a batsman and his even better characteristics as a person, Root frequently lost his tactical sensibilities, something Stokes should be able to avoid given McCullum's 31 Tests as captain.

"It's not rocket science," added McCullum. "You're trying to take wickets with the ball and shift pressure with the bat. It's not an overly extravagant gameplan - it's got some nice simplicity to it."

The fact that McCullum has never led a world-class squad has drawn a lot of attention. Although his 101 Test appearances as a player should atone for that, it is also important to keep in mind that Andy Flower, the head coach who led England to the top of the world rankings, had never previously led a first-class cricket team.

Even if some fans do not think McCullum is the best choice to revitalise the Test team, most will agree that his arrival brings a much-needed dash of intrigue to watching England, which has grown predictably excruciating over the past year and a half.

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The England cricket team will look to continue their winning momentum as they take on New Zealand in the second Test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham starting Friday, June 10.

Under the new leadership of captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, England started their new era in an emphatic fashion as the hosts defeated the reigning World Test Championship (WTC) holders by five wickets in the first Test at Lord’s to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Interestingly, this was England’s second Test win in their last 18 matches in the longest format.

ENG vs NZ Dream11 prediction

England have dominated the New Zealand cricket team in the Test format. England have won 49 of the 108 Test matches that the two teams have contested so far. The Kiwis have secured just 12 victories. 47 matches have ended in draws.

Going by recent form and past head-to-head record, England will start as overwhelming favourites to win the second Test at Trent Bridge and clinch the three-match Test series.

ENG vs NZ Dream11 team tips for 2nd Test

Top tip: Best batter

Picking in-form England batter Joe Root in any fantasy team for this fixture is a no-brainer. The 31-year-old smashed an unbeaten 115 in the second innings to guide England to a five-wicket win and helped his side take a 1-0 lead in the series. Since January 2021, Root has amassed 2192 runs, hitting nine hundreds in the longest format. Root is once again expected to play an important role in Nottingham.

Top tip: Best bowler

Debutant Matty Potts was the wrecker-in-chief for England in the first Test at the Lord’s. The 23-year-old right-arm pacer picked seven wickets in his first Test at an average of 9.71. Considering his impressive form on debut, Potts will be a great fantasy pick for the second Test between England and New Zealand.

Top tip: Best all-rounder and wicket-keeper

As far as all-rounders are concerned, England captain Ben Stokes will be the overwhelming choice. Stokes registered an impressive half-century in the second innings of the first Test to play a pivotal role in helping England chase down 279. He also picked one wicket in the match. Ben Stokes is likely to contribute with both bat and ball in the second Test and will be a valuable addition to any fantasy team.

For the wicket-keeper spot, New Zealand’s Tom Blundell will be the preferred choice over Ben Foakes of England. Along with his wicket-keeping responsibilities, Tom Blundell played a 96-run knock in the second innings to give New Zealand a fighting chance in the match. He will look to continue his good form in the second Test starting on Friday.

ENG vs NZ probable playing XI

ENG playing XI (probable): Alex Lees, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (captain), Ben Foakes (wicket-keeper), Matt Potts, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, James Anderson

NZ playing XI (probable): Tom Latham, Will Young, Kane Williamson (captain), Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wicket-keeper), Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, Trent Boult

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