In a landmark moment, Joe Root surpassed Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest run-scorer in the history of Test cricket. England’s most prolific run-scorer, Root achieved this historic milestone on day three of the ongoing fourth Test at Old Trafford, Manchester.
Before the start of the Test, Root was fifth on the all-time list of highest run-scorers in Test cricket. The world’s number one ranked Test batter needed 120 runs to surpass Ponting. Remarkably, he climbed three places in the list on the same day and in the same innings. Now, only the great Sachin Tendulkar stands ahead of him, topping the chart with 15,921 runs.
Earlier on day three, when Root reached the 30-run mark in his innings, he overtook Rahul Dravid. Off the very next ball he faced, he scored a single to move past Jacques Kallis. Finally, when he reached 120 by steering Anshul Kamboj to third man, he overtook Ponting to become the second-highest run-scorer in Test history.
Most runs in Test cricket:
15,921 – Sachin Tendulkar
13,409* – Joe Root
13,378 – Ricky Ponting
13,289 – Jacques Kallis
13,288 – Rahul Dravid
Root made the historic day even more memorable by bringing up his 38th Test century, equalling Kumar Sangakkara’s tally. They now jointly hold fourth place on the list of most centuries in Test cricket.
Tendulkar leads the list with 51 centuries, followed by Kallis and Ponting with 45 and 41 respectively. With this century, Root now has 23 Test hundreds in England – the joint-most at home by any player, alongside Ponting, Kallis, and Mahela Jayawardene.
Most Test hundreds:
51 – Sachin Tendulkar
45 – Jacques Kallis
41 – Ricky Ponting
38 – Joe Root*
38 – Kumar Sangakkara
36 – Rahul Dravid
36 – Steven Smith
During his marathon innings of 150, Root shattered several records, including becoming the first batter to score 1,000 Test runs at Old Trafford. The 34-year-old former England captain played a magnificent knock of 150 off 248 balls, including 14 fours.
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