New Delhi: England batter Joe Root scaled another huge milestone in Test cricket on Saturday as he became only the 4th batter in the world to complete 100 fifty-plus scores in the longest format. Root became the first England batter and only the 4th after the likes of legendary Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Jacques Kallis to achieve the remarkable feat.
Root achieved the feat during England’s second innings on Day 2 of their ongoing 2nd Test against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Saturday. The England batter scored an unbeaten 73 to help his team finish with 378/5 at the stumps and extend their lead to a whopping 533 runs in the Test match.
It was Root’s 65th half-century in Test cricket which saw him complete a century of fifty-plus scores in his career. He became the first England batter to get to 100 fifty-plus scores in the longest format and only the 4th overall. Tendulkar leads the elite list with 119 fifty-plus scores in 329 innings in his Test career followed by Kallis, who notched up 103 fifty-plus scores in 280 Test innings.
Batters with most fifty-plus scores in Tests:
Sachin Tendulkar – 119 (329 innings)
Jacques Kallis – 103 (280 innings)
Ricky Ponting – 103 (287 innings)
Joe Root – 100* (276 innings)
Joe Root eyeing Sachin Tendulkar’s all time record
Root has been enjoying a prolific run with the bat in Test cricket over the last three years and is the only active batter with a healthy chance of breaking Tendulkar’s all-time record for most runs in Test history. Root has already amassed 12,853 runs in 151 Test matches at an excellent average of over 50 and needs only 3069 runs to surpass Tendulkar.
Root has already become the leading run-getter for England in Tests and is currently 5th on the list of highest run-getters of all time in the longest format behind Rahul Dravid, Kallis, Ponting and Tendulkar. With the help of his unbeaten 73 and two brilliant knocks from Ben Duckett (92) and Jacob Bethell (96) helped England post 378/5 on the board, extending their lead to 533 runs.
England batter Joe Root achieved another huge milestone in Test cricket as he became only the 4th batter in the world to complete 100 fifty-plus scores in the longest format. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
