Joe Root has officially become England’s leading run-scorer in Test cricket, surpassing Alastair Cook during the first Test against Pakistan. Root reached the milestone when he scored 71 runs with a straight drive for four on the third morning at Multan International Cricket Stadium. He acknowledged the achievement by waving to the England players and coaching staff, who applauded him from the balcony.
Starting the tour 70 runs behind Cook’s total of 12,472, Joe Root pulled ahead after driving Aamer Jamal down the ground. Last month, he already surpassed Cook’s record for the most Test centuries by an English player, with two hundreds against Sri Lanka at Lord’s. He has now moved into fifth place on the all-time list of leading Test run-scorers.
Though Root is still over 3,000 runs behind Sachin Tendulkar’s world record, Cook believes Joe Root could break it. “I can see him overhauling Sachin’s record,” Cook stated. He emphasized that Root’s hunger and ability to perform would help him achieve this milestone, especially with Ben Stokes as captain, which has lifted some pressure off Joe Root.
Joe Root himself downplayed the significance of the record, saying, “The only reason it’s on my mind is because people keep asking me about it.” He expressed his intention to continue playing Test cricket for a long time without being fixated on reaching specific milestones.
In the match, Root batted at No. 3 and formed successful partnerships, making steady progress toward his historic achievement. He reached his 50 for the 99th time in his Test career before finally breaking Cook’s long-standing record.
