This topic is something which is one of the most precious things for a cricketer to have in his lifetime and that is playing the most number of Test matches for your country because test cricket is the ultimate form of cricket and any player who plays the game aspires to be a test Cricketer. Therefore to be on this list for the players to have played the most number of test matches in history means a lot to every player no matter the country he represents.
The Top 5 Players that are on this list are some of the greatest ever to play test cricket and the fact that these men have played so many test matches and that too for over a decade and a half and still staying so fit and motivated says a lot about all of these players and even those who are not in the Top 5 but have played more than 100 test matches for their nations is something really special for each one of them. So, let’s see the Top 5 players who have played the most number of Test matches.
Sachin Tendulkar (200 Test Matches)
This is something which is absolutely mind-boggling that someone can not only play 100 test matches which in itself is a huge deal but goes on to play double the number and play 200 test matches so that means 1000 days of test cricket for Sachin Tendulkar. He started his test career on 15th November 1989 and ended it on 16th November 2013. A full 24 year cycle for the greatest of all time. And I have been lucky enough to watch 11 years of his greatness live on TV. I don’t think anyone else can break this record because to do what he did firstly they have to play test cricket for 2 Decades and be fit for that time. He scored 15921 runs in 200 test matches with 51 Test hundreds. There will only be one Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
James Anderson (169 Test Matches and counting)
James Anderson is the only one out of the Top 5 that is still playing active test cricket and he looks fit as a fiddle and if anyone has a real shot at becoming the second ever player to play 200 Test matches it’s this fella but he should be given more test matches to play and he has to play for 4-5 years more and I don’t see that happening as he is already touching 40 years old. He has become the most successful fast bowler in test cricket history with 640 test wickets and counting. He is an all time legend and everyone hopes that he reaches the mark of 700 Test Wickets in his career.
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Ricky Ponting (168 Test Matches)
The third player on this list is an Aussie legend and one of the best batters in the history of test cricket. He was the captain who helped Australia become the ruthless force that it became but there is another player who was instrumental in the shaping of modern Australian cricket and we will talk about that man little later but Ricky Ponting was an absolute beast and he loved scoring lots of runs and winning matches for Australia. He captained Australia for over a decade and has won the most test matches ever as a captain. I loved watching him play and would hope that someday India will also play like this and Virat Kohli made that dream come true.
Steve Waugh (168 Test Matches)
It is such a coincidence that the two greatest captains in Australian cricket played the exact same number of test matches in their careers and both of them were equally responsible for the turnaround of Australia cricket from a side note in West Indies domination era to one where there were the big dogs and the other teams were catching up to then every time they played against them and only India were able to resist against this onslaught from this duo and Steve Waugh is so respected and revered around the world and he was a true gentleman in the gentleman’s game. I was not lucky enough to watch him in his prime but hearing his thoughts about the sport now makes me realize what a special player he was.
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Jacques Kallis (166 Test Matches)
The fifth and final player on this list is someone whom I consider the greatest all rounder of all time and it us because of what he did in not batting and bowling but also the fielding department of the game which made him a true all rounder who could do everything. He played 166 Test Matches for South Africa and was easily their best player to play test cricket. Jacques Kallis has scored over 13500 Test runs with 45 hundreds and taken 292 Test wickets. I loved seeing him bat and bowl and he was a class apart and South Africa cricket misses him dearly to this day.
Number | Player | Test Matches |
1. | Sachin Tendulkar | 200 Test Matches |
2. | James Anderson | 169 Test Matches and counting |
3. | Ricky Ponting | 168 Test Matches |
4. | Steve Waugh | 168 Test Matches |
5. | Jacques Kallis | 166 Test Matches |
