Top 10 English middle order batsmen of all time

When it comes to Test cricket, the middle-order batsmen are responsible for scoring the bulk of the runs and control the flow of the innings.

Some of the greatest batsmen to have played the game have almost always been middle-order batsmen and the positions between 4 to 7 are absolutely vital if a team is to put up a big score.

England, the world's oldest cricketing nation has produced plenty of top-class middle-order batsmen over the course of its cricketing history and many have gone on to become greats of the game. Here is a look at 10 of the very best.

#10 Sir Ian Botham

The former England great was possibly one of the greatest all-rounders to have ever played the game and had the ability to influence games both with the bat and the ball.

Ian Botham batted in middle-order and batted at all positions from number 4 to number 9, however, it was at number 6 that he batted the most times.

In 97 Test matches that he batted in between positions 4 and 7, Botham scored 5013 runs that included 14 centuries and 21 half-centuries.

He was primarily an attacking batsman and believed in taking the bowlers on from the outset. That is perhaps the reason why his average is only 34.81, however, as an all-rounder who batted in the middle-order he was one of England's greatest assets.

#9 Allan Lamb

The South African born batsman was the mainstay of the England middle-order in the 1980s and early 1990s and went on to become one of the best middle-order batsmen to have ever represented the country.

He did bat at number 3 a few times but it was as a middle-order batsman in the number 5 and number 6 positions that Lamb made his name in international cricket.

He was a feisty stroke-player and had the technique to negotiate the best bowlers in the business. During his time, the West Indian fast bowlers were almost unplayable at times but Lamb did well against them.

He batted in the middle-order on 73 occasions and scored 4274 runs at an average of 37.16. He scored 13 centuries and 16 half-centuries as a middle-order batsman.

#8 Paul Collingwood

Former England all-rounder Paul Collingwood proved to be one of the most accomplished middle-order batsmen from 2003 through to 2011 and although he played at number 5 on most occasions, he batted at numbers 4, 6, and 7 as well.

Collingwood was technically superb and at ease on the green pitches in England, the fast decks in Australia or the dust bowl in the subcontinent. In addition to that, he has an excellent defensive technique that made him such a difficult batsman to dislodge.

He played in 68 Test matches and scored 4259 runs at an average of 40.56. He notched up 10 hundreds and as many as 20 half-centuries in his distinguished career.

#7 Colin Cowdrey

The former England great who played 114 Test matches between 1954 and 1975, batted at all positions in the batting order. He had opened the innings on several occasions and also played at number 3, but for the bulk of his career, he was a middle-order batsman who batted at number 4 or 5.

Cowdrey was a stroke-player of immense gift and became one of England's longest-serving cricketers in that era. He was also the first cricketer to complete the milestone of 100 Tests. He batted in the middle-order in 73 of those Tests and went on to become one of England's greatest batsman in those positions.

Cowdrey scored 4404 runs at an average of 43.17 and slammed 11 centuries in addition to 24 half-centuries.

#6 Graham Thorpe

The left-handed batsman who played exactly 100 Test matches for England between 1993 and 2005, was the best batsman in the side for much of his career.

He batted at number 4 or 5 for most of his career and was known for his excellent technique, stroke-making abilities as well as the ability to spin well in tours to the subcontinent.

He has the second highest run scorer among English middle-order batsmen of all time and he did so in 99 Test matches, during the course of which Thrope scored 6608 runs at an average of 44.95.

He made 15 centuries and 39 half-centuries and remained one of England's middle-order order mainstays during a pretty tough period for the national team.

#5 Ian Bell

The right-handed batsman who served as one of the pillars of the English middle-order during the team's ascent to becoming one of the world's best Test sides initially batted at number 3 but then went on to bat in the middle-order.

Ian Bell played 118 Tests for England from 2004 to 2015 and in 94 of those games, he batted in the middle-order.

Bell had an excellent defence but he was primarily an attacking batsman and he was arguably one of the best players of the cover drive in world cricket for much of his career.

He is the third highest run scorer among English middle-order batsmen and piled up 5497 runs at an average of 45.05. Bell scored 20 centuries and 33 half-centuries as a middle-order batsman.

#4 David Gower

The left-handed batsman is probably one of the greatest batsmen to have ever played for England and he was at ease in both the top order as well as in the middle-order.

David Gower played for England from between 1978 and 1992 and is regarded as one of the most graceful stroke-makers to have ever played the game.

Although he had opened the innings a few times and batted at number 3 plenty of times, it was as a middle-order batsman that he is best known.

As a middle-order batsman, Gower made 5539 runs at a healthy average of 42.28 and scored 10 hundreds, in addition to 29 fifties.

#3 Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen is one of the greatest batsmen in modern cricket history and will definitely be included among the best batsmen to have ever represented England in Test cricket.

He did bat in top order on a handful of occasions but it was at number 4 that he made the bulk of his career runs.

Pietersen's game was built on the ability to brutally attack the best bowlers, anywhere in the world and although he had trouble with left-arm spin, he overcame those problems and slammed one of the finest hundreds in India to help England win the series in 2012.

As a middle-order batsman, Pietersen scored 8050 runs, the highest among middle-order batsmen for England and averaged 47.07. He slammed 23 centuries and 34 half-centuries in the process.

#2 Ken Barrington

In his 13 year Test career from 1955 to 1968, Ken Barrington emerged as one of the world's best batsmen and he is still regarded as one of the finest batsmen to have ever played for England. He had opened the innings 4 times and had even batted at number 3 on 40 occasions.

However, the major part of his career was spent as a middle-order batsman at either number 4 or number 5. Barrington was an attacking batsman by nature but later on, in his career, he became far more conservative batsman and was intent on grinding the opposition bowlers to dust.

The right-handed batsman played in the middle-order in 60 Test matches and scored 3978 runs, at a brilliant average of 50.35. He also brought up 7 centuries and 27 half-centuries as a middle-order batsman.

#1 Denis Compton

Denis Compton, who played for England in 78 Test matches between 1937 and 1957, is the greatest middle-order batsman to have ever played for the country.

In 72 of those Tests, he batted in the middle-order. Compton was a superb attacking batsman, who liked to take on bowlers and his ability to play all strokes in the book, made him an extremely tough batsman to bowl to.

For most of his career, Compton batted at number 4, although he did bat at the other middle-order positions at some points in his career.

Compton scored 5422 runs I the middle-order positions and brought up 17 centuries, in addition to 24 half-centuries. However, it is his average of 52.64 that makes him England's greatest ever middle-order batsman.