Entangled in custom and animosity, the Ashes have always been considered the supreme measure of talent, character, and history in cricket. During the nearly 150 years of its existence, many batting giants from both countries have even surpassed the rivalry’s tales by scoring centuries.
In view of the next Ashes series 2025-26 in Australia, here is a countdown of the top five players with the most Ashes centuries in history.
Most Centuries in Ashes History
5. Wally Hammond – 9 centuries
Late England all-rounder Wally Hammond smashed nine Test centuries in 58 Ashes innings during 33 matches against Australia from 1928 to 1947. Besides that, he scored seven more fifties and had a great batting average of 51.85.
Wally Hammond also played one of his great Test innings against Australia in December 1928 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), where he made an incredible 251. After being on the wickets for more than 600 balls in his seven-and-a-half-hour stay at the crease, England was helped by Hammond’s genius to take the eight-wicket win and to lead the way to a comprehensive 4-1 Ashes series win in their favor ‘Down Under’.
4. Steve Waugh – 10 centuries
The former Australian captain and multi-Ashes winner, Steve Waugh, brought in 10 Test tons and 14 half-centuries against England in the Ashes. Waugh being present at the bat in 72 innings over 45 matches, his batting average was 58.75, the second-best average amongst all Australians with over 2,000 Ashes runs to their names, just behind the great Sir Donald Bradman.
Waugh was also the leader of Australia in those nine encounters. Out of them, he was victorious in eight which gave him the best winning percentage in Ashes history among those captains who led their nation in at least three Tests. He was the captain who had the heaviest weight on his shoulders and he did not disappoint with his batting, as he kept on producing some match-winning epics during the entire period of his Ashes presence, from 1986 to 2003.
3. Jack Hobbs – 12 centuries
Surrey old-timer and late England batsman Jack Hobbs was recognized as a terrific stroke player whose quality and tranquillity marked English batting during his period. He and his cricketing skills showed even more of his class against the Australians in all his Ashes contests, whether it be in England or in Australia. The cricketer participated in 41 out of 61 of his Tests in the Ashes and had the privilege of being the top scorer amongst the Englishmen with 3,636 runs.
In addition, he scored 12 centuries and 15 half-centuries in his Ashes career to maintain his position as the most successful batter of all time in this iconic rivalry. Interestingly, while Hobbs scored 52.29 in Ashes Tests at home, he had an even better average of 57.97 in Australia, that of a skilled player.
2. Steve Smith – 12 centuries
Steve Smith, the batting giant of modern times, seems to keep some of his best performances for England in the Ashes. With a total of 3,417 runs scored in just 66 innings from 37 Tests, his average of 56.01, which proclaims the cricketer as one of the strongest hitters in the history of the Ashes, is merely a by-product of the unsurpassed batting skill.
With 12 Ashes centuries out of a total of 36 centuries in the format, he has yet again succeeded in the promotion of his talent with the highest score of 239. In the 2017-18 and 2019 series of the Ashes, which were played in Australia and England respectively, Steve Smith not only maintained but also surpassed 110 average in both series, totaling 1,461 runs in just 14 innings with six hundreds.
1. Sir Don Bradman – 19 centuries
Despite more than 75 years since the end of his Test career, Sir Donald Bradman remains the king of the batsmen in the history of Ashes. His total of 19 Ashes hundreds is by far the highest and, yet, Steve Smith might still challenge this great total with a couple of unrealistic Ashes campaigns.
In 37 Tests, Bradman made a remarkable 5,028 runs at an astonishing average of 89.78, therefore, placing himself almost 1,500 runs ahead of Jack Hobbs, who was the second-highest scorer in history. His supreme control over English bowlers, irrespective of the pitch and weather conditions, is still the benchmark for batting excellence in the Ashes.
