Joe Root etched his name in history as England’s highest Test run-scorer, surpassing Alastair Cook’s record of 12,472 runs on the third day of the first Test against Pakistan in Multan. The 33-year-old reached the milestone in style, driving Pakistan seamer Aamer Jamal for a straight boundary to bring his score to 71, the exact number needed to surpass Cook.
Root’s achievement not only makes him England’s top scorer in Test cricket but also places him fifth on the all-time global list, further cementing his legacy as one of the modern greats.
Interestingly, in England’s last Test series against Sri Lanka, Root also surpassed Cook’s English record for most centuries in the longest format, smashing his 34th hundred during the second Test.
On Day 2 of the ongoing Test against Pakistan, Joe Root continued his remarkable form in 2024, crossing 1,000 Test runs for the fifth time in a calendar year; a feat that aligns him with cricket legends such as Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Jacques Kallis, Kumar Sangakkara, and Cook.
At 33, Root’s career is far from over, and many have tipped him to challenge Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time run tally in red-ball cricket. With the record for England’s highest Test run-scorer already under his belt, Root’s pursuit of even greater milestones looks promising. He is less than a thousand runs short of surpassing the second-placed Ponting.
Root arrived at the crease with England under instant pressure, having lost their first wicket in only the second over of the innings. However, Root produced his class in absorbing the pressure from one end, allowing Zak Crawley to play with an aggressive approach from the other.
The duo forged a 109-run stand for the second wicket before Crawley departed 78 off just 85 balls. By Lunch on Day 3, Root had reached 72, looking set for another century score that would take him past the likes of Brian Lara, Mahela Jayawardene, Sunil Gavaskar, and Younis Khan – all of whom are tied at 34 tons in Tests.
