With an exquisite straight drive for four at the Multan Cricket Stadium, Joe Root has etched his place in history, passing Alastair Cook to become 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 three of the first Test against Pakistan, going on to reach his 35th Test century and finishing the day on 176 not out.
The 33-year-old Root moved to fifth place on the all-time list of test run-scorers in his 147th match, 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 retired after playing at least 164 Tests and are within reach of a batter who said ahead of the tour to Pakistan: “I see myself playing Test cricket for a lot longer.”
Australia’s Steve Smith is the closest active player to Root with 9,685 runs from 109 Tests.
“There are other geniuses who can play genius innings. But Root is a genius with consistency,” said Cook, who was commentating on the match for BBC radio when his record was taken by Root.
Technically excellent and owning pretty much all the shots, Root 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. His latest was his first in Pakistan and put him sixth on the all-time list of century-makers.
“I’ve never seen that hunger, determination or relentlessness in anyone’s batting really. He does that in an elegant way,” Cook said of Root.
England captain Ben Stokes, 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.
“He’s an incredible player,” Stokes said. “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, shortly after moving above Cook’s total of Test runs.
“He is such a humble guy — you wouldn’t know you were with greatness in the dressing room,” England teammate Ben Duckett said.
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 number four in England’s batting order and demonstrated during recent 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 Stokes.
Those risky ramp shots and reverse scoops 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.
“You could say Sachin is still the favourite, but [only] just,” Cook said.
AP
