The 1971 English cricket season was the 72nd in which the County Championship had been an official competition. India won a Test series in England for the first time. It was a huge surprise at the time because England, having just won the Ashes in Australia, had a very strong team. England also played Pakistan and won that series 1–0. Surrey won the County Championship.

Honours

Test series

1971 saw India tour England for the second half of the domestic season. After drawing the first two tests at Lord's and Old Trafford, India won the final test at The Oval by four wickets to claim the series 1–0. This was India's first victory on England's soil. For the first half of the season, England hosted Pakistan. The first two games were drawn, but this time England won the final test at Headingley by 25 runs to take the series 1–0.

County Championship

Gillette Cup

Sunday League

Leading batsmen

Leading bowlers

Annual reviews