Joe Root has become England’s top run-scorer in Test cricket, overtaking Alastair Cook when he reached 71 with a straight drive for four on the third morning of their first Test against Pakistan.
Root acknowledged the landmark with a wave of his hand – and then his bat – to England’s players and coaching staff, who stood to applaud him on the dressing-room balcony at the Multan International Cricket Stadium. He started this tour 70 runs behind Cook’s career aggregate of 12,472, and went clear of him by driving Aamer Jamal down the ground.
Last month, Root surpassed Cook’s record for the most Test centuries by an Englishman with twin hundreds against Sri Lanka at Lord’s. He has now drawn clear of Cook for total runs, too, and has moved into fifth on the list of all-time leading run-scorers in Test cricket. He was more than 800 runs behind Rahul Dravid, in fourth, when he overtook Cook.
Root is still more than 3,000 runs behind Sachin Tendulkar’s world record, but Cook believes he has every chance of breaking it. “I can see him overhauling Sachin Tendulkar’s record,” Cook told the BBC. “When I retired, I thought there was every chance that my record will be broken. I thought only the effects of captaincy and the hunger that takes out of you would stop him. I think the fact that Ben Stokes has taken over the captaincy has helped Root.
“You could say Sachin is still the favourite, but [only] just. He’s been so lucky with injuries. All great players who played for a long time have been lucky with injuries. You just never know what’s around the corner, but it has to be something like it that could stop him. But I don’t see that happening for Root to lose that hunger and ability to keep driving himself forward for the next couple of years.
“The only slight hurdle in his way will be the Ashes series – there is always something happening around the series. It’s in 14 months’ time and there’s always a story about the damage that happens or doesn’t happen around every Ashes series. I’d give Sachin 51% and Root 49%. But I would be betting on Root to do it.”
Speaking ahead of the first Test, Root had played down the significance of the record. “The only reason it’s on my mind is because people keep asking me about it, to be honest,” he 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.”
With Ben Duckett unable to open the batting on the second evening in Multan and Ollie Pope deputising for him, Root was batting a spot higher than usual at No. 3. Having walked out to bat in the second over of England’s innings, Root combined with Zak Crawley and Duckett – who recovered overnight and came in at No. 4 – for century partnerships, as England chipped away at the deficit.
Root made steady progress on the third morning, reaching 50 for the 99th time in his Test career when inside-edging Naseem Shah through square leg on the stroke of the drinks break. On 65, he survived anlbw shout when struck on the pad by Aamer Jamal, which Pakistan reviewed unsuccessfully; four balls later, he secured the England record.
