Daryl Mitchell loves playing against England, and on Sunday (June 28), during Day 4 of the ongoing third Test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, he etched his name into the record books by registering the most 50-plus scores by a New Zealand batter against England in Test cricket.
The right-handed middle-order batter brought up a gritty half-century in the second session, taking his tally of 50-plus scores against England to 12. No other New Zealand batter has reached the 50-run mark as many times in Tests against England.
Mitchell now sits alone at the top of the list, ahead of Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson and John Wright, all of whom have recorded 11 scores of 50 or more against England in the longest format.
Most 50+ scores for New Zealand in Tests
against England
| PLAYER | MATCHES | RUNS | 100/50 | 50+ SCORES |
| Daryl Mitchell | 13* | 1141* | 3/9 | 12 |
| Ross Taylor | 19 | 1272 | 3/8 | 11 |
| Kane Williamson | 20 | 1408 | 5/6 | 11 |
| John Wright | 23 | 1518 | 4/7 | 11 |
| Brendon McCullum | 16 | 1041 | 0/10 | 10 |
| Bert Sutcliffe | 16 | 1049 | 2/8 | 10 |
| Stephen Fleming | 19 | 1229 | 2/7 | 9 |
| John Reid | 19 | 953 | 1/8 | 9 |
| Tom Blundell | 12* | 1020 | 3/5 | 8 |
| Martin Crowe | 22 | 1421 | 5/3 | 8 |
| Tom Latham | 19* | 1089 | 2/6 | 8 |
The 34-year-old took 170 balls to reach his fifty in New Zealand’s second innings. He has now scored 1,141* Test runs against England, including 729* in England. Only former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe has scored more Test runs for New Zealand against England on English soil.
Most Test runs for New Zealand against England (in England)
| PLAYER | MATCHES | RUNS | BEST SCORE | 100/50 |
| Martin Crowe | 13 | 845 | 142 | 3/2 |
| Daryl Mitchell | 7 | 729* | 190 | 3/4 |
| Bevan Congdon | 12 | 726 | 176 | 2/1 |
| John Wright | 11 | 714 | 119 | 1/5 |
| Devon Conway | 8 | 681 | 200 | 2/2 |
Mitchell, who is currently playing his seventh Test in England, has also equalled another New Zealand record. He now has seven 50-plus scores in Tests in England, comprising three centuries and four half-centuries. Before Mitchell, only Vic Pollard had recorded seven 50-plus scores for New Zealand in Tests against England in England.
Most 50-plus for New Zealand in Tests against England (in England)
| PLAYER | MATCHES | RUNS | 100/50 | 50+ SCORES |
| Daryl Mitchell | 7* | 735* | 3/4 | 7 |
| Vic Pollard | 9 | 621 | 2/5 | 7 |
| Bruce Edgar | 10 | 575 | 0/6 | 6 |
| Bert Sutcliffe | 9 | 602 | 1/5 | 6 |
| John Wright | 11 | 714 | 1/5 | 6 |
The record for the most 50-plus scores against England in Test matches played in England is jointly held by Australia’s Allan Border and West Indies legend Viv Richards. Both Border and Richards finished their Test careers with 17 scores of 50 or more against England on English soil.
Overall, the record for the most 50-plus scores against England in Test cricket belongs to Don Bradman.
Bradman played 37 Tests against England between 1928 and 1948 and crossed the 50-run mark 31 times. In 63 innings against the English side, the Australian great scored 19 centuries and 12 half-centuries.
