Captains:
- Ben Stokes (Tests)
- Jos Buttler (ODIs and T20Is)
Coaches:
- Brendon McCullum (Tests)
- Matthew Mott (ODIs and T20Is)
First international match: 1877
Cricket board: England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)
ICC titles: 3
History
The history of England’s cricket team goes back to at least 1739, when a team called “All England” played against “Kent.” However, the first official Test match, which is now recognized as such, happened in March 1877. James Lillywhite’s XI played against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, but England lost.
England’s first Test match at home was against Australia in 1880. In that game, WG Grace, one of the most famous people in Victorian England, scored 152 runs, helping England win by five wickets. In 1882, Australia won a close match at The Oval by seven runs. This defeat led to a mock newspaper printing an obituary for English cricket, marking the start of a famous rivalry. Later, England’s captain Ivo Bligh was given a small urn, symbolizing “the ashes” of English cricket, which began the historic Ashes series between England and Australia.
In the next 50 years, England, under the control of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) at Lord’s, started playing Test cricket against former British colonies like South Africa, West Indies, New Zealand, and India. One famous series was in 1932-33, known as the “Bodyline” series, where England, led by Douglas Jardine, used fast bowler Harold Larwood to bowl short balls aimed at Australian batters, causing a big controversy.
England won the Ashes again in 1953 under Len Hutton’s captaincy and successfully defended them in Australia in 1954-55. In 1954, England played their first Test series against Pakistan, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Pakistan was led by Abdul Kardar, a former Indian allrounder.
In 1971, England and Australia played the first-ever One-Day International (ODI) match, a format that quickly became popular. England hosted the first three Cricket World Cups in 1975, 1979, and 1983. They made it to the semi-finals in the first five tournaments but lost in the finals three times, including the 1992 final against Pakistan. England finally won the World Cup in 2019 after a dramatic tie against New Zealand.
In 2003, England introduced T20 cricket in county competitions, and it became a global success, especially after India won the first T20 World Cup in 2007. England won their first ICC trophy in 2010 by beating Australia in the T20 World Cup. In 2022, they became the first team to hold both the ODI and T20 World Cups at the same time.
England Cricket Team’s Current Ranking
| Format | Ranking |
|---|---|
| Tests | 3 |
| ODIs | 7 |
| T20Is | 4 |
England Cricket Team Trophies and Milestones
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1739 | First recorded match of an “All-England” team |
| 1787 | Foundation of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) |
| 1877 | First Test match (vs Australia, Melbourne) |
| 1882 | Birth of The Ashes after a mock obituary |
| 1932-33 | Bodyline series in Australia |
| 1971 | First ODI (vs Australia, Melbourne) |
| 1975 | Hosted inaugural World Cup; reached semi-final |
| 2010 | Won T20 World Cup (Bridgetown) |
| 2019 | Won ODI World Cup (Lord’s) |
| 2022 | Won T20 World Cup (Melbourne) |
