On August 24, Joe Root played a key role in England’s five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test at Old Trafford. Root’s unbeaten 62 in the second innings guided England to a win and secured his place in Test cricket history.
Earlier, Root had scored 42 runs in the first innings. His recent fifty was his 64th in Test cricket, moving him ahead of Rahul Dravid and Allan Border in the list of players with the most fifties. Root now ranks third overall, behind only Sachin Tendulkar and Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
Root’s consistent performance in Test cricket has been impressive, particularly under Brendon McCullum’s leadership. As the world’s top-ranked Test batter, Root has accumulated 12,131 runs in 144 Tests, including 32 centuries. His form has been outstanding, leading the run-scoring charts in the ICC World Test Championship.
Here’s the updated list of players with the most fifties in Test cricket:
- Sachin Tendulkar: 68 fifties in 329 innings
- Shivnarine Chanderpaul: 66 fifties in 280 innings
- Joe Root: 64 fifties in 263 innings
- Rahul Dravid: 63 fifties in 286 innings
- Allan Border: 63 fifties in 265 innings
Root is now just 341 runs away from surpassing Alastair Cook’s record for the most Test runs by an Englishman. Among current players, Root is the leading run-scorer in Tests, with Australia’s Steve Smith in second place with 9,685 runs.
Leave a Reply