Joe Root overtook Sir Alastair Cook to become England’s Test cricket record scorer on day three of the series opener against Pakistan Joe Root surpassed the previous record of 12,472 runs set by the former captain.
Root came to the country needing 71 to take the top spot and got there in his first innings, claiming with typical assurance what he had long been destined to achieve on the third morning in Multan champion.
The 33-year-old, who has completed four Test drives with Aamer Jamal, finished fifth on his 147th Test appearance, 14 fewer than Cook did before his retirement in 2018. Second-rate.
The moment took place in a low-key manner and went unnoticed by local fans, celebrated only by putting on gloves and a pat on the shoulder with batting partner Ben Duckett.
In a video posted by the England and Wales Cricket Board on X, Ben Stokes praised the “selfless” and “incredible” Root.
Stokes, who missed the game due to injury, praised Root’s character and achievements.
“His selflessness is an incredible quality for him,” Stokes said. “He always puts the team first and it’s just a bonus for us that he’s getting so many runs.
“He’s an unbelievable player. It’s going to take a long, long time for someone to come in and break that record. Just a great guy. To achieve so much is an unbelievable feat.
“But I think the selflessness he has is one of the things that puts him above anyone else who’s going to be playing for England for a long time.”
It was a typically assured innings from Root, one he desperately needed after he and England responded to Pakistan’s 556-run stand at one for four.
England still have a lot of work to do to fully cement their position, but whatever the outcome, Root’s efforts will stand the test of time.
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In August, he achieved another of Cook’s proudest achievements, scoring consecutive hundreds against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, equaling and surpassing his record of 33 consecutive centuries in Test matches.
At the time, Cook told the BBC’s Test Match Special: “He’s absolutely the greatest player in England and it’s absolutely right that he should set this record in his own right. He’s just the last one to be ticked. people…”
Now that has happened, Root is ranked behind Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting and Sachin · Sachin Tendulkar – He wants to surpass all these people.
