With an exquisite straight drive for four, Joe Root took another of Alastair Cook’s records by becoming England’s highest run-scorer in test cricket.
Root surpassed the retired Cook’s total of 12,472 runs by reaching 71 during England’s first innings on Day 3 of the first test against Pakistan on Wednesday.
The 33-year-old Root moved to fifth place on the all-time list of test run-scorers, behind India’s Sachin Tendulkar (15,921), Australia’s Ricky Ponting (13,378), South Africa’s Jacques Kallis (13,289) and India’s Rahul Dravid (13,288). All four above Root are retired and within reach of a batter who said ahead of the tour to Pakistan that he had plenty left in the tank.
“The only reason it (Cook’s record) is on my mind is because people keep asking me about it, to be honest,” Root said. “I see myself playing test cricket for a lot longer. It’s not like I’m going to get to a certain mark or a number and say, Right, I’m done now.’ I just want to keep enjoying the game, keep playing.”
Root, who is technically excellent and owns pretty much all the shots, overtook Cook’s record of 33 test centuries by an England batter last month when he made hundreds in both innings against Sri Lanka at Lord’s.
Ben Stokes, the England test captain who is sitting out the first match of the series because of injury, praised Root’s character and achievement in a video released by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
“The selflessness that he has is an incredible attribute for him,” Stokes said. “He always puts the team first, and the fact that he’s got so many runs is just a bonus for us. He’s an incredible player. It’s going to take a long, long time for someone to come in and break that record. Just a great bloke. And an unbelievable feat to score that many runs.
“But the non-selfishness that he possesses is one thing I think sets him above or sets him apart from anybody else who is going to play for England for a long time.”
Root waved to his teammates soon after reaching the milestone before he raised his bat in acknowledgement. He shook hands with Stokes and bowling mentor James Anderson as he walked off the field at the lunch break, with a 35th test century - and a first in Pakistan - in his sights.
Root is playing in his 147th test and came into the Pakistan series averaging more than 50, whereas Cook made 161 test appearances and batted in 291 innings, averaging 45.35.
They are England’s third and fourth most-capped players, behind now-retired fast bowlers Anderson and Stuart Broad.
Root has more runs against India than any other opposition - 2,846 in 30 tests. Next is Australia, against whom he has 2,428 in 34 tests, while his best average is against Sri Lanka at 62.54.
Root was England captain from 2017-22. He averaged 52.80 before the captaincy, 46.45 during it, and he is back to his prior level since standing down.
The most prolific year of his test career was in 2021, when he scored 1,708 runs. He has passed 1,000 runs in a year five times.
He has settled at No. 4 in England’s batting order and demonstrated during the recent summer tests against the West Indies and Sri Lanka that he has slightly reined in the bold and occasionally reckless approach he and his England teammates adopted early in the so-called “Bazball” era under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. Those risky ramp shots are mostly gone — though he still got himself out attempting one against the Sri Lankans at Lord’s — and he is harder to dismiss for it.
Root’s next big target is displacing Tendulkar — the “Little Master” — atop the all-time list and, injury permitting, he has a good chance of doing so.
