Achieving the milestones of century and half-century in Test cricket can be a tough task for tailenders given their skill set primarily being bowling. Despite never reaching fifty, some players have time and again proven to be nightmares for their opponents with their gritty efforts.

Only two players in the history of Test cricket have managed to score 1,000 runs in their career without a half-century. Kagiso Rabada, who was on this list earlier, left the list after his fifty against Pakistan in Rawalpindi 2025.

Naturally, this list is dominated by bowlers. On the top is an Australian spinner with 1,732 with a highest Test score of 47. He is followed by a Pakistan fast bowler, who made 1,010 runs from 87 Tests with a high score of 45.