Former England skipper Joe Root has added a remarkable milestone in Test cricket by surpassing Rahul Dravid’s record during the second match against New Zealand in Wellington. Joe Root became the first English batter and the fourth overall player to score 100 half-century-plus knocks in Test cricket.
Root scored three runs in the first innings as England were bowled out for 280. New Zealand were then dismissed for 125 in their second innings. Ben Duckett (92) and Jacob Bethell (96) missed centuries but extended England’s lead. Root came in at No. 4 to pile on the pressure against New Zealand.
Joe Root Surpasses Rahul Dravid on Elite List of Test Batters
Joe Root reached his 65th half-century in Tests during the second innings. He surpassed Rahul Dravid’s record of 99 fifty-plus scores. Root is now behind Sachin Tendulkar (119), Jacques Kallis (103), and Ricky Ponting (103). He also became the first England batter to achieve 100 fifty-plus scores in Tests.
A century of 50+ scores for Joe Root 🤩 pic.twitter.com/U5BLMhKyUF
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) December 7, 2024
Overall, the English batter has scored close to 13,000 runs in 151 Tests at an average of 51.00, including 35 centuries and 65 fifties. Root has been in exceptional form in 2024, scoring 1,437 runs at an average of 57.48, including five centuries and five fifties. He is the leading run-scorer in Tests this year.
Test Batters with Most Fifty-Plus Scores
| Player | Matches | 50-plus scores |
|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | 200 | 119 |
| Jacques Kallis | 166 | 103 |
| Ricky Ponting | 168 | 103 |
| Joe Root | 151 | 100 |
| Rahul Dravid | 164 | 99 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul | 164 | 96 |
Most Test Runs Away from Home
| Player | Team | Runs |
|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 8,705 |
| Rahul Dravid | India | 7,690 |
| Jacques Kallis | South Africa | 5,919 |
| Joe Root | England | 5,808* |
| Brian Lara | West Indies | 5,736 |
“I’m Not Sure What the Plans Are” – Gus Atkinson
Root scored an unbeaten 73 runs off 106 balls, including five boundaries, on Day 2. The Ben Stokes-led team ended the day at 378/5 in 76 overs. Stokes remained not out on 35 runs off 26 balls, including one boundary and two sixes. They extended their lead to 533 runs in the second Test match.
English bowler Gus Atkinson said that he is unsure about England’s plans for the rest of the match. He stated that they would assess the conditions early the next day and adjust accordingly. Atkinson expressed disappointment that Jacob Bethell missed out on his first century.
“I’m not sure what the plans are, to be honest! We’ll see tomorrow. Assess conditions early and go from there,” Atkinson told TNT Sports.
“I think we’ll stick to the usual stuff. Challenge the batters as much as we can. Then if it doesn’t work for us, we’ll revert to other plans. Whatever those are, we’ll see, but we won’t try anything too different tomorrow.”
“It’s a shame. He (Jacob Bethell) batted so beautifully. It would have been nice for him to get his first hundred but he’ll take a lot from that. He was outstanding.”
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