Who has played the most career Test matches?
Joe Root will move to outright third on the all-time list for most Test appearances when England face Pakistan at Edgbaston
- Published
England captain Joe Root will move to outright third on the all-time list for most Test appearances when England face Pakistan in the third Test this week.
Root, 35, is currently joint-third place for all-time Test appearances with former Australia captains Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh. The trio all sit on 168 Test caps each.
Former India batter Sachin Tendulkar has the all-time record, making exactly 200 Test outings between 1989 and 2013. Former England fast bowler James Anderson, who retired in 2024, is second on the list with 188 caps.
Two other ex-England players make the top 10, with Stuart Broad (167) and Sir Alastair Cook (161) among the 10 players to have made over 160 appearances in the format.
South Africa's Jacques Kallis (166), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (164) of the West Indies and Tendulkar's former teammate Rahul Dravid (164) make up the rest of the top 10.
Root is the only member of the top 10 that is still playing Test cricket. The next-highest on the list is Australia spin bowler Nathan Lyon (143), who is ranked 15th.
In women's cricket, the record for most Test appearances is held by Janette Brittain. She won 27 caps for England between 1979 and 1998.
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All-time most Test appearances
Sachin Tendulkar (India) 200
James Anderson (England) 188
Ricky Ponting (Australia) 168
Joe Root (England) 168
Steve Waugh (Australia) 168
Stuart Broad (England) 167
Jacques Kallis (South Africa) 166
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies) 164
Rahul Dravid (India) 164
Sir Alastair Cook (England) 161
This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.
