Joe Root becomes England's leading Test match run-scorer of all time
Joe Root has achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the all-time top run-scorer for England in Test matches.
The 33-year-old surpassed Sir Alastair Cook's record of 12,472 runs on the third day of the first Test match against Pakistan in Multan.
He achieved a significant milestone by scoring 71 runs during the match and ended the day not out at 176, marking the 35th century of his Test career.
As Harry Brook remains unbeaten at 141 and England's score stands at 492-3, the visitors are behind by 64 runs as they head into the fourth day, with seven wickets still in hand.
The former captain celebrated his significant milestone with little fanfare, simply lifting his hand to recognize the scattered applause from the small crowd present in the opening session of the game.
England, in response to the home team's score of 556, found themselves trailing by over 300 runs at that moment.
Root surpassed Cook's record of 33 Test centuries for England this summer by hitting two hundreds against Sri Lanka at Lord's.
The cricketer from Yorkshire has moved up to become the fifth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket history. He now sits behind India's Sachin Tendulkar, Australia's Ricky Ponting, South Africa's Jacques Kallis, and fellow Indian Rahul Dravid, who is just under 1,000 runs ahead of him with a total of 13,288 runs.
They have all hung up their boots and no longer play.
Root started his Test career against India in 2012 and scored his first century the next year in a match against New Zealand at Headingley.
His top score in Test matches is 254, which he achieved against Pakistan at Emirates Old Trafford in July 2016. This innings is one of the five occasions he has scored 200 or more runs in Test cricket.
Sky Sports Cricket commentator Michael Atherton described Root's career as "a dozen years of outstanding performance."
The ex-captain of England described Root as an "incredible talent" and one of the country's greatest players, stating that he might even be the best we've ever had.
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Sky's Nasser Hussain commented that it felt almost certain that Root would accomplish the milestone on Wednesday.
"Over the span of twelve years, he has always played with a smile, which isn’t something you can easily do," he remarked.
England Cricket posted on X that "we are experiencing true excellence."
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On X, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer praised it as "an amazing accomplishment by an exceptional cricketer who continues to improve."
On Wednesday, Joe Root wasn't the only one in the Root family with something to celebrate. He achieved a significant milestone just as his brother Billy, a county cricketer for Glamorgan, tied the knot.
