Tag: Joe Root

England’s star batter Joe Root joined Pakistan’s great Younis Khan in the list of batters with the most centuries in Test cricket.

Root, who is enjoying a purple patch with the bat in red-ball cricket, scored another hundred in the ongoing second home Test against Sri Lanka, taking his centuries tally to 34.

With his 34th century, Joe Root came level with legends of the game including Pakistan’s Younis Khan, India’s Sunil Gavaskar, Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene and West Indies’ Brian Lara.

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Earlier in the first innings, Root played a marathon 143-run knock which featured 18 boundaries.

He scored 103 as England bowled out on 251 in the second innings, setting Sri Lanka a 483-run target.

India’s batting great Sachin Tendulkar (51) scored the most number of centuries in Test cricket, followed by Jacques Kallis (45), Ricky Ponting (41), Kumar Sangakkara (38) and Rahul Dravid (36).

Most Hundreds in Test Cricket

Sachin Tendulkar: 51
Jacques Kallis: 45
Ricky Ponting: 41
Kumar Sangakkara: 38
Rahul Dravid: 36
Joe Root: 34*
Sunil Gavaskar: 34
Mahela Jayawardene: 34
Brian Lara: 34
Younis Khan: 34
Alastair Cook: 33

He also became the all-time leading century-scorer for England in Tests, going past former captain Alastair Cook.

The right-handed batter achieved the milestone in England’s first innings of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s.

Root immediately pointed to the sky after reaching three figures in a gesture in memory of former England batter and assistant coach Graham Thorpe, who died aged 55 earlier this month after taking his own life.

Joe Root, who recently amassed 12,000 runs in Test cricket to become the seventh-highest run-scorer of all time, has second-placed Ponting and Tendulkar’s overall record within sight.

Notably, no active player has as many hundreds as Root.

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England batter Joe Root paid an emotional tribute to the late Graham Thorpe after scoring a milestone 33rd Test hundred against Sri Lanka at Lord’s on Thursday, saying much of his success was down to the impact of his former coach.

His innings meant Root equalled Alastair Cook’s record for the most Test hundreds by an England batter after he came in with the side faltering at 42-2 on the first day of the second Test.

Root immediately pointed to the sky after reaching three figures in a gesture in memory of former England batter and assistant coach Thorpe, who died aged 55 earlier this month after taking his own life.

A deeply moved Joe Root, whose composed 143 helped England reach 358-7 at stumps, told reporters: “I’ve been very lucky to work with a lot of people, whether it be senior players, coaches, mentors, and Thorpey was one of those people who offered me so much.

“It was nice to be able to think of him [Graham Thorpe] in that moment. He’s someone I’m sorely going to miss, and who I owe a lot to. He put a lot into my game and my career, and without his help, I definitely wouldn’t be where I am now.”

Graham Thorpe, who won exactly 100 Test caps, was widely regarded as the best England batsman of his generation. The stylish left-hander was also one of the first to recognise Root’s talent.

“Before I’d even made a hundred at first-class level he picked me for an England Lions (A team) game against Sri Lanka at Scarborough,” said Root.

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“He saw something with me… He pushed very hard for me to be involved in that India tour where I made my debut (in 2012) and from that point onwards we worked together.”

Root added: “It evolved into more than that, we became good friends and I really enjoyed spending a lot of time with him. It was nice to pay a small tribute. He means a lot to me and that was a small thank you.”

Root’s innings revived England after Sri Lanka’s gamble in bowling first under blue skies and on a good batting pitch almost paid dividends.

England were faltering at 212-6 but Root’s century allied to Gus Atkinson’s Test-best 74 not out boosted the total after several top-order batsmen gave their wickets away.

Joe Root, eventually out to his trademark reverse ramp, came in after Ollie Pope was dismissed for just one — his third single-figure score since deputising as captain for the injured Ben Stokes.

Pope admitted he was finding it tough to balance the demands of batting and leadership after twice being out for six in an otherwise successful debut as skipper during England’s five-wicket win in last week’s first Test at Old Trafford.

But, with the home team 1-0 up in a three-match series, former England captain Root insisted: “I don’t think there’s anything for Ollie to worry about… He should keep doing exactly what he’s doing.”

Root added: “You know someone like him with his talent ability and his mindset, it won’t be long before he scores a big score.”

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Joe Root scored a record-equalling 33rd Test hundred for England as the hosts established a strong position against Sri Lanka on the first day of the second Test at Lord’s on Thursday.

England, 42-2 when Root came in to bat, reached stumps on 358-7. The star batsman made 143 — his sixth Test century at the ‘Home of Cricket’.

No other England top-order batsman made more than Ben Duckett’s 40.

But fast bowler Gus Atkinson was 74 not out at the close — his maiden Test fifty in just his fifth match at this level — after providing Root with excellent support in a seventh-wicket stand of 92 in 19 overs.

“I think we have had a really good day,” Root told Sky Sports. “Hopefully we can carry that on now and over 400 would be a really good total.”

Root’s 206-ball innings saw him equal the England record of 33 Test hundreds held by the retired Alastair Cook.

“I had to be quite patient and they bowled well for periods of time,” said Joe Root, who made his Test debut in 2012.

Long freed from the burden of captaining England, he added: “I am very much in a really good place at the minute, I am really enjoying everything, I have got a good balance of things.”

Earlier, Ollie Pope was out in single figures for his third successive innings as England’s stand-in captain, with Sri Lanka taking three wickets before lunch after winning the toss.

Despite the sunny conditions, Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva decided to field as his side seek to level the three-match series following England’s five-wicket win in the first Test at Old Trafford.

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It looked a questionable move when left-handed opener Duckett scored three fours in an over off Asitha Fernando.

But makeshift opener Dan Lawrence fell for nine, caught behind off Lahiru Kumara, recalled in place of Vishwa Fernando.

Pope, twice out for six at Old Trafford in his debut match as England skipper in place of injured Ben Stokes, had made one when he top-edged a pull off Fernando. De Silva held a well-judged catch running back from square leg.

Not for the first time in his 145-Test career, the 33-year-old Root, fresh from a match-clinching 62 not out in the first Test, came in with the innings in the balance.

On 11 he was rapped on the pad by a full-length Kumara delivery to spark a raucous lbw appeal.

Paul Reiffel ruled not out. Sri Lanka reviewed but the decision was upheld on umpire’s call.

No reviews were needed when left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya struck with just his fourth ball, Duckett top-edging a reverse scoop to Kumara on the boundary as a 47-ball 40 came to a disappointing end.

At lunch, England were faltering at 97-3.

Root shared stands of 48 and 62 with Harry Brook (33) and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith (21).

Chris Woakes carelessly pulled Fernando straight to long leg on six to leave England 216-6.

Joe Root, 81 not out at tea, spent 12 balls on 99 before elegantly guiding the paceman for four between slip and gully to complete a hundred with his 13th four in 162 balls faced.

He moved into joint-tenth place in an all-time list of Test century-makers headed by India’s Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 51 hundreds in 200 Tests.

After batting in largely classical fashion, Root was out when he skyed an unorthodox ramp off Milan Rathnayake to Pathum Nissanka, with England then 308-7.

Atkinson, who drove Jayasuriya for two superb straight sixes, went to fifty in just 61 balls when he cover-drove fast bowler Rathnayake for a textbook four.

The 26-year-old took a toll of the new ball too, pulling Kumara for six over midwicket.

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Star England batter Joe Root on Thursday added another feather to his cap as he drew level with legendary batter Alastair Cook for the most Test centuries for England in Tests.

The right-handed batter achieved the milestone in England’s second Test of the three-match home series against Sri Lanka at Lord’s.

The 33-year-old, who has been in remarkable form, walked out to bat at No.4 with England 42/2 and anchored the innings with a mesmerizing knock.

He put together important partnerships with Harry Brook and Jamie Smith, who made notable contributions with 33 and 21 respectively.

Enjoying his purple patch in the longest format, Root gave only a half-a-chance to Sri Lanka when Milan Rathnayake’s delivery evaded past his stumps after brushing inside half of the bat.

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With his 33rd Test century, Joe Root has now equalled Alastair Cook’s long-standing record of scoring the most number of tons for England.

Notably, no active player has as many hundreds as Root.

The former England captain also joined an elusive list of batters to score the most number of centuries in the history of Test cricket, becoming joint-tenth in the list, led by Sachin Tendulkar.

Joe Root is now only one century behind Pakistan’s legendary batter Younis Khan and West Indian batting great Brian Lara.

However, he needs 19 more centuries to replace Tendulkar as the batter with the most number of Test centuries.

Most Test hundreds

Sachin Tendulkar: 51
Jacques Kallis: 45
Ricky Ponting: 41
Kumar Sangakkara: 38
Rahul Dravid: 36
Sunil Gavaskar: 34
Mahela Jayawardene: 34
Brian Lara: 34
Younis Khan: 34
Alastair Cook: 33
Joe Root: 33

Root, who recently amassed  12,000 runs in Test cricket to become the seventh-highest run-scorer of all time, has second-placed Ponting and Tendulkar’s overall record within sight.

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Interim England Test captain Ollie Pope sought to follow former captain Joe Root’s footsteps to maintain the responsibilities of captaincy and batting after a challenging outing in the first Test against Sri Lanka.

Pope, who replaced injured Ben Stokes as England captain for the three-match series against Sri Lanka, led the home side to a convincing five-wicket victory in the opening fixture.

However, the right-handed batter struggled to make a mark with the bat as he could score six runs in each innings. His dismissal in the second innings came while attempting to play a reverse sweep.

As England bid for the series-clinching victory, Ollie Pope shared to have sought advice from Joe Root on how to excel while performing dual responsibilities.

“I really enjoyed the week. “The runs didn’t come for me, but hopefully in the next two weeks, I can separate my roles as captain and batsman and focus more on my batting,” said Pope.

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“We talked about how being in the field as captain can be more taxing, but it’s about finding a little routine and doing small things to keep the roles separate.

“Chatting to Rooty, who’s obviously got a great cricket brain and is England’s best batter, we just bounced a few ideas off each other.”

The England and Wales Cricket (ECB) on Tuesday, announced their lineup for the second Test against Sri Lanka and made just one change to their side which soared to a five-wicket victory.

Right-arm pacer Olly Stone would play his fourth Test for England, coming in as a replacement for Mark Wood, who suffered a thigh injury on the third day of the opening Test in Manchester.

England’s playing XI for the second Test against Sri Lanka

Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Olly Stone, Shoaib Bashir.

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Legendary Australia captain Ricky Ponting has backed English batter Joe Root to break the batting records of Indian great Sachin Tendulkar.

Tendulkar holds the record for scoring the most runs in Test cricket — 15,921 from a record 200 matches, followed by Ponting, who scored 13378 runs in 168 games.

Meanwhile, Root is currently the seventh among the highest run-scorers in Test cricket with 12027 runs from 143 matches.

Ponting has predicted that the 33-year-old English batter will be the one to break Tendulkar’s record in Test cricket.

“He (Root) could potentially do that,” Ricky Ponting said in the ICC review. “He is 33 years of age…(more than) 3000 runs behind.”

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The former Australian captain highlighted that if Joe Root participates in 10 to 14 Test matches every year and maintains his current level of performance, he could potentially surpass Sachin Tendulkar within the next four years, achieving this feat at the age of 37.

“It depends on how many Test matches they play, but if they’re playing 10 to 14 Test matches a year, and if you’re scoring 800 to 1,000 runs a year, then that sort of says he’s only three or four years off getting there. So that’ll take him to 37 (years of age),” Ponting added.

“If his hunger’s still there, then there’s every chance that he could do it. He is someone that, in the last couple of years, has gotten better and better.”

“Four or five years ago, he was making a lot of 50s and struggling to go on and make hundreds and he’s gone the other way recently.

“Almost every time he gets to 50 now, he goes on and makes a big hundred. So that’s been the real turnaround for him.”

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DUBAI: Pakistan white-ball captain and star batter Babar Azam rose one place, while England’s top-order batter Joe Root clinched the top spot in the latest ICC Test Batting Rankings on Wednesday.

The latest ranking updates saw Root reclaiming the number one spot after a year as he overtook New Zealand batter Kane Williamson on the back of his impressive performance in the home series against West Indies.

The right-handed Englishman finished the series as the highest run-scorer with 291 runs across four innings in the three-match series. He played a crucial 87-run knock in the first innings of the third Test.

With 872 points, Root is now 13 points clear of Williamson, who moved down to second position. Meanwhile, England batter Harry Brook dropped four places to seventh after scoring 197 runs in four innings against West Indies.

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As a result of Brook’s slip, Babar Azam and New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell are now tied for third, while Australia’s Steve Smith and India’s Rohit Sharma also gained one place to reach fifth and sixth respectively.

Meanwhile, England Test captain Ben Stokes jumped four places to reach 30th after hitting a quick half-century as an opener in the second innings of the third Test to guide his team to a ten-wicket victory.

He also moved one place up in the Test All-Rounder Rankings to reach sixth, while Chris Woakes gained three places to ninth spot.

On the other hand, in the ICC T20I Batting Rankings, Yashasvi Jaiswal moved up to fourth, while Shubman Gill reached a career-best 21st. Meanwhile, Pakistan batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan dropped one spot to fifth and sixth, respectively.

Sri Lanka all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga, who had a forgettable series against India, lost his position as the number one all-rounder in T20 rankings. Hasaranga is now joint-third, while Australia’s Marcus Stoinis has reclaimed the No.1 spot.

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England batsman Joe Root said Saturday he was glad to return to form in India with his unbeaten 122, admitting his poor “execution” earlier in the tour had weighed on him.

Root registered his 31st Test century in the fourth Test in Ranchi to pull England out of trouble after managing just 77 runs in the first three matches.

The former captain guided England to 353 all out after the tourists had slipped to 112-5 in the first session on Friday.

Root batted for more than six hours and faced 274 balls in a display that marked a temporary departure from England’s attacking “Bazball” style.

“It was nice to finally get some runs in this series,” said Root, who has 11,692 runs over 139 Tests.

“It felt like it’s been a long time coming, it’s been a lean series individually for me. You pride yourself as a senior player… to try and make contributions that put you in positions to win games,” he told reporters.

Root was severely criticised after England’s third Test loss in Rajkot for sacrificing his wicket to an impetuous reverse scoop shot off Jasprit Bumrah.

His wicket triggered an England batting collapse and the tourists lost their second successive Test, with India now leading the five-match series 2-1.

“Certainly the execution of the shots has weighed on me,” said Root. “Not necessarily the selection but the execution, I’m better than that.”

He said he was briefly tempted to bring up his century in Ranchi with a similar shot.

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“It was a fleeting and selfish thought that left my mind very quickly,” Root said. “On that wicket, it wasn’t a great option, so no.

England have won 14 Tests out of 21 since skipper Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, nicknamed Baz, took the reins.

Root said their attacking strategy was “not about being aggressive all the time”.

“That’s not what we try to do as a team. We try to bring the best out of each other and bring the best out of this group of players,” he said.

“It’s not about being arrogant. Bazball is a word that’s used a lot but that’s your word, that’s not how we look at it,” Root said.

England’s 434-run defeat in the third Test was their worst since 1934.

However, Root praised Stokes, who succeeded him as captain in 2022, and McCullum for instilling fearlessness in the team.

“There isn’t any sort of fear of failure with how they go approach it,” he said.

“Shane Warne used to say so what if you get hit for six — you’ve got another chance, you’ve got another opportunity and if you take a wicket, the game looks very different.

“And that’s something Ben’s brought into the way we approach things out there in the field. You’ve got to take wickets to win games of Test cricket,” Root said.

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RANCHI: England spinner Shoaib Bashir ran through India’s middle-order with four wickets and restricted the hosts to 219/7 at Stumps on Day 2 of the ongoing fourth Test here on Saturday.

India were trailing by another 134 runs when the stumps were called with wicketkeeper batter Dhruv Jurel and Kuldeep Yadav unbeaten at the crease.

The duo of Jurel (30) and Yadav (17) batted sensibly in the final hour of the second day to stop England’s bowling charge, who had India reduced to 177/7.

The hosts had a shaky start to their innings as their skipper Rohit Sharma (2) perished cheaply with just four runs on the board.

But in-form opener Yashasvi Jaiswal partnered strongly with Shubman Gill and anchored the innings.

They added 82 runs for the second wicket before Shoaib Bashir got Gill lbw with a sharply spun delivery. The right-handed batter scored 38 with the help of six boundaries.

Jaiswal then put on brief partnerships with Rajat Patidar (17) and Ravindra Jadeja (12) before finally perishing in the final session.

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He remained the top-scorer for India with a gutsy 73 which featured eight boundaries and a six.

The home side found themselves in heaps of trouble earlier in the third session as Sarfaraz Khan (14) and Ravichandran Ashwin (1) also fell cheaply, bringing India down to 177/7.

Earlier in the day, England resumed their first innings with an overnight score of 302/7 with Joe Root and Ollie Robbinson.

The pair started from where they left off and appeared in complete control until Jadeja broke the threatening partnership by getting Robbinson caught behind.

Robbinson scored 58 off 96 deliveries with the help of 10 boundaries including a six.

His dismissal exposed England’s batting tail and Jadeja, fuelled with momentum, struck twice again in his consecutive overs to book England on 353.

England’s star with the bat Joe Root remained unbeaten with a gutsy 122 which featured 10 boundaries.

Ravindra Jadeja led the bowling attack for India with four wickets, followed Akash Deep, who bagged three on debut.

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England’s Joe Root was roundly praised Friday after becoming the first batsman to make 10 Test centuries against India after departing from his team’s attacking strategy and back to more conservative cricket.

Root made an unbeaten 106 as he lifted England from a precarious 112-5 to 302-7 at stumps after they elected to bat first in the fourth Test in Ranchi.

The former captain returned to form after managing just 77 runs in his previous six innings and weathering criticism for his dismissal off a misjudged reverse scoop in England’s loss in the third Test.

Root put on 113 runs for the sixth wicket with wicketkeeper-batsman Ben Foakes (47) as the two remained uncharacteristically patient, a step away from England’s attacking “Bazball” style.

“A really good day for England and a masterful hundred from England’s best player in Joe Root,” former captain Michael Vaughan told TNT Sports.

“This was the day England played the situation perfectly.”

Fellow ex-captain Nasser Hussain said on Sky Sports that Root’s innings was “an absolute pleasure to watch”.

“You don’t keep a great player down and Joe Root is definitely a great player, arguably one of England’s greatest if not England’s greatest-ever batter,” he said.

“I saw a steely toughness in his eye today, whether he was stung by the criticism he received for some of the shots he has played or whether it’s actually Joe himself wanted to contribute more.”

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Root came out at the fall of Ollie Pope’s wicket for a duck and witnessed Zak Crawley get bowled on 42 before he got down to the grind with Jonny Bairstow, another batsman to struggle this series.

England soon lost Bairstow for 38 and then skipper Ben Stokes at the stroke of lunch but Joe Root remained determined in his 226-ball stay, which witnessed just one reverse sweep off Ravichandran Ashwin.

“This is the Joe Root mode that win you Test matches!” South African great AB de Villiers wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Root reached his 31st Test ton with a boundary off debutant fast bowler Akash Deep — who captured three wickets in the first hour of play — and took off his helmet and raised his bat in a muted celebration.

“Phenomenal knock,” Crawley said after the day’s play.

“He’s probably the only bloke in our team who could have done that knock. He’s that good, he’s our best player and he’s stepped up when we needed him to,” he said.

“We needed him to get a score and he got a score like he’s done for so many years now, he’s a phenomenal player.”

Root made 11,493 Test runs in his 138 previous matches, with an average of close to 50, since his debut in 2012.

Joe Root is now ahead of former Australia captain Steve Smith, who has nine career Test centuries against India.

READ: Joe Root’s ton recovers England to 302/7 against India