England batter Joe Root added another feather to his already illustrious cap by becoming the first player to amass 6,000 runs in ICC World Test Championship (WTC) history.
Root is currently playing his 69th Test since the start of the WTC in 2019 and has participated in all three completed editions, including the ongoing fourth cycle. The former England captain has scored 20 centuries and 22 half-centuries in the WTC, averaging over 52. In terms of the highest run-scorers in the competition’s history, he is followed by Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Ben Stokes, and Travis Head.
Most Runs in World Test Championship History
Batter
Matches
Runs
Joe Root
69*
6,080
Steve Smith
55
4,278
Marnus Labuschagne
53
4,225
Ben Stokes
57
3,616
Travis Head
52
3,300
He also surpassed Kumar Sangakkara to become the fourth-highest century-maker in Test cricket history by bringing up his 39th hundred during the ongoing fifth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at The Oval.
With England under pressure after the loss of three early wickets, Root built a crucial partnership with Harry Brook that not only stabilised the second innings but also brought the hosts close to a famous victory. The pair added 195 runs off just 211 balls for the fourth wicket. Following Brook’s dismissal, Root continued to bat confidently before being dismissed by Prasidh Krishna—caught by Dhruv Jurel—for 105, an innings that included 12 boundaries. Root’s dismissal left England at 337/6, and only two more runs were added before stumps were called.
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