Stats: Alastair Cook becomes England’s highest run-scorer across all formats
Alastair Cook might not be in the thoughts of the England limited-overs set-up but that hasn't stopped him from breaking records in the longest format of the game. On day three of the third Test between England and Pakistan at Edgbaston, Cook overtook Kevin Pietersen as England’s highest run-scorer across all formats.
On his way to an unbeaten 64 on day two, England’s Test captain overtook Pietersen’s mark of 13,779 runs across all formats to add another English record in his kitty. His 51st Test fifty also helped him become the first Englishman to cross 10,500 Test runs.
Although Cook hasn’t played an ODI since December 2014 and has only played four T20Is in his career, his record in the longest format of the game means that he is the proud owner of yet another English record.
Given that the players occupying the No.2 and No.3 spots (Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell) aren’t playing for England across any format at the moment and the rest of the top ten have all retired from international cricket, it is safe to say that the record will be Cook’s for the foreseeable future.
With 7,215 runs from 138 matches at an average of 49.41, Joe Root is Cook’s closest challenger who is currently active across all formats of the game. Although the right-hander currently occupies the 20th spot, he is still almost halfway behind Cook and will probably only catch him at the end of his career, if he continues his impressive start.
Of the top ten, six players, including the top three, have played in all three formats for England, while the other four have only played Tests and ODIs. Rounding off the top five is Graham Gooch at No.4, who is England’s second-highest run scorer in Tests and Alec Stewart, who has played the most matches of any player in the top ten.
However, Stewart’s 133 Test caps, which is more than any other Englishman, is another record that Cook is closing on. The current English captain has played in 132 including the current match.
David Gower is at No.6 while two former openers, Andrew Strauss and Marcus Trescothick, occupy the seventh and eighth spot. The only England captain to win a world cup, Paul Collingwood, is at No.9 while Mike Atherton takes the tenth spot.
Most runs for England across all formats
| No. | Player | Matches | Runs | Average |
| 1. | Alastair Cook | 228 | 13,820* | 44.06 |
| 2. | Kevin Pietersen | 275 | 13,779 | 44.30 |
| 3. | Ian Bell | 287 | 13,331 | 40.27 |
| 4. | Graham Gooch | 243 | 13,190 | 40.58 |
| 5. | Alec Stewart | 303 | 13,140 | 36.29 |
| 6. | David Gower | 231 | 11,401 | 39.44 |
| 7. | Andrew Strauss | 231 | 11,315 | 38.48 |
| 8. | Marcus Trescothick | 202 | 10,326 | 40.97 |
| 9. | Paul Collingwood | 300 | 9,934 | 35.47 |
| 10. | Mike Atherton | 169 | 9,519 | 37.18 |
*stats accurate as of stumps on day 3 of the third Test between England and Pakistan