Star English batter Joe Root made history on Wednesday (October 9) and became the highest run-scorer in Test cricket history for England. The 33-year-old right-handed batter smashed the earlier record held by former captain Alastair Cook. Cook, a former player and captain, played 161 Tests for the Poms during his 12-year-long international career and scored 12,472 runs.
Root, who is currently playing against Pakistan in Multan in his 147th Test match for England, has now scored 12.473 runs. The right-handed batsman was required to score 71 runs in the first Test in order to overcome Cook’s record, and he completed the mission in the first innings itself.
Most runs in Tests
Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 15,921
Ricky Ponting (Australia) – 13,378
Jacques Kallis (South Africa) – 13, 289
Rahul Dravid (India) – 13,288
Joe Root (England) – 12,473
With this achievement, Root has not only broken Cook’s record, but has also climbed up to the 5th spot in the list of players with most runs in Test cricket
Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for the most runs scored in Tests, having scored 15,921 runs in 200 matches. Ricky Ponting of Australia, Jacques Kallis of South Africa, and India’s Rahul Dravid, who scored 13378, 13289, and 13288 runs respectively, are ranked second, third, and fourth.
Most 100s in Tests
Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 51
Jacques Kallis (South Africa) – 45
Ricky Ponting (Australia) – 41
Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) – 38
Rahul Dravid (India) – 36
Joe Root (England) – 34
On the previous Tuesday, while playing the 1st Test match on its second day, Root achieved another first by becoming the first batsman to complete 5000 runs in the World Test Championship. Root is also the highest run getter enjoyed by all players within the time period of this tournament and the one who has participated in most number of games and hit the most hundreds in their history.
The star batsman, currently on top of the ICC Test batter rankings, is determined to make a big century out of the good start that he has made already in order to suppress the first innings efforts of the hosts who are keen on building a huge advantage.
Making a century on the first chance in the innings would benefit Root in the quest to surpass Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara, Mahela Jayawardene and Younis Khan to become the sixth player in history to register 35 or more centuries in Test Cricket.
Batters with most Test centuries, Sachin has 51 to his record and remains unbeaten, while Kallis is second with 45, followed by Ponting with 41, Sangakkara with 38, and Dravid who has 36.
Most 100s in Tests:
Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 51
Jacques Kallis (South Africa) – 45
Ricky Ponting (Australia) – 41
Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) – 38
Rahul Dravid (India) – 36
Joe Root (England) – 34
The knock of 102 runs in the first inning will create a record for Root as the only batsman in the history of WTC to amass a total of not less than 1500 runs in each of the three WTC tournaments.
