Joe Root equalled the England record of 33 Test centuries held by Alastair Cook when he reached three figures on the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s on Thursday. Root, 81 not out at tea, spent 12 balls on 99 and one of the outstanding batsmen of his generation almost played onto Lahiru Kumara when one run shy of a century. But Root, opening the face, elegantly guided the paceman for four between slip and gully to complete a hundred with his 13th four in 162 balls faced.

He was eventually out for 143, his sixth Test century at Lord’s, when he miscued a reverse scoop off fast bowler Milan Rathnayake high to Pathum Nissanka at point, with England then 308-7.

By then, Root had drawn level with fellow former England captain Cook’s record of 33 Test centuries, but in his 145th match compared to the retired opener’s career tally of 161 Tests.

It also took the 33-year-old Root into joint-tenth place in an all-time list of Test century-makers headed by India great Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 51 hundreds in 200 Tests from 1989-2013.

Significantly, the 33-year-old Root is the only batsman in this group who is still an active cricketer, with all the others retired from Test duty.

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