List of English cricketers (1701–1786)

This is a list of English cricketers who were first recorded in historically important matches played between the 1701 and 1786 seasons. People known to have participated before 1701 are listed under Earliest known participants. 1786 was the season before Thomas Lord, backed by the White Conduit Club (WCC), opened his original ground in May 1787, with Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) being founded soon afterwards. Players who were first recorded in or after the 1787 season may be found in List of English cricketers (1787–1825).

In the 18th century, more information is available in the sources than in the 17th, so it is easier to identify the active players, and the clubs or county teams with which they were most usually associated. Although some people like the Dukes of Richmond are remembered primarily as patrons, they were invariably players too, and generally captained their own teams. Cricket underwent radical changes during the 18th century. Patronage and popular support enabled it to outgrow its roots as a village pastime, and develop into a major sport in southeast England which had begun its spread through the rest of the country by 1787. The Laws of Cricket were first written in 1744, and revised in 1774. In the early 1760s, pitched delivery bowling was introduced, and this necessitated the invention of the straight bat: an evolution in bowling and batting techniques.