The match itself was a classic. Pakistan scored 556 runs in their first innings, with three of their batters getting scores of over 100. Ben Duckett injured his thumb taking the final catch of the innings forcing skipper Ollie Pope to step in to open the batting. However, Pope’s dismissal 8 balls into the innings brought Root out to begin his historic knock.
Alongside Harry Brook, Root built the biggest partnership total in English test history, a 454-run stand. Brook then went on to claim his highest score to date, 317, the first triple century by an Englishman in 34 years.
Despite all these records, the story of the day was still Joe Root’s heroics
His form over the past 3 years, coupled with his dedication to test cricket makes him the most likely candidate to challenge Sachin Tendulkar’s all time test run scoring record.
The brilliance of other batters of the era, such as Virat Kohli, Steven Smith, and Kane Williamson means his quality has often been underappreciated, but his record of late has been undeniable. With 18 centuries since 2021, Root has confirmed his place amongst the ‘fab four’. The other members of this group, Kohli, Smith, and Williamson have scored 19 test centuries between them in the same time-frame.
England’s test cricket calendar for the next 18 months is a gruelling one. A 5-match series at home next summer will be followed by the Ashes in Australia next winter. Root averages a touch above 35 in Australia and so will be anxious to prove himself in the one setting he is yet to do so in.
But that is a matter for the future. For now we can just appreciate cricketing excellence.
