The invention relates to a shell-and-tube heat exchanger comprising a wear-resistant tube plate lining. In spite of short residence times, the cracking gas flowing out of the cracking oven of a thermal cracking installation at a high speed contains coke particles that act on the tube plate, on the gas inlet side, of the shell-and-tube heat exchanger in a highly erosive manner. The aim of the invention is to be able to apply a metallic lining with high resistance to high-temperature corrosion, to the tube plate and the inlet region of the cooling tubes. To this end, the inventive shell-and-tube heat exchanger comprises a wear-resistant tube plate lining for using in thermal cracking installations comprising cooler tubes (1) through which circulates the gas to be cooled and which are held respectively on the ends thereof by a tube plate, and provided with an envelope through which a coolant flows. The tube plate (2) on the gas inlet side (2) is at least partially covered on the side thereof exposed to the gas entering the shell-and-tube heat exchanger, by a material layer consisting, on the front side, of individual adjacent sleeves which consist of a heat-resistant metallic material and are inserted in the tube ends in such a way that the outer edges (Fig.1) thereof come into contact.