Joe Root led England to a five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka on Day 5 of the first Test at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester, with an unbeaten 62. During his resilient knock, Root achieved significant milestones, including surpassing legends Rahul Dravid and Allan Border to claim the third spot on the list of most Test half-centuries.
This was Root’s 64th Test fifty, placing him behind only Sachin Tendulkar (68) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (66). With several matches still to be played this season, Root is poised to challenge Tendulkar’s record for the most Test fifties.
England Triumphs Over Sri Lanka by Five Wickets in Manchester Test
Root’s Other Achievements
Joe Root also set a new record for the most fifty-plus scores at Manchester in Tests, with eight such scores, surpassing Ian Bell and Denis Compton, who each had seven. Additionally, Root notched his 10th fifty-plus score in the fourth innings for England, tying with Geoffrey Boycott and closing in on Mike Atheron and Alastair Cook, who have 11 each.
Root Eyes Top Run-Scorer Spot
Root recently became the second England batter to surpass 12,000 Test runs, after Alastair Cook. With 12,131 runs from 144 Tests at an average of 50.33, including 32 centuries, Root is on track to enter the top five run-scorers in Test history. He is close to overtaking Cook, who has 12,472 runs, and Kumar Sangakkara, who has 12,400 runs.
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Root will continue to lead England in the absence of captain Ben Stokes when they face Sri Lanka in the second Test at Lord’s, starting August 29.
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