Joe Root overtakes Sir Alastair Cook to become England's all-time leading Test run-scorer

Joe Root has surpassed Sir Alastair Cook to claim the title of England's top run-scorer in Test cricket history.

Root surpassed Cook's record of 12,472 Test runs with a beautiful straight drive past Aamer Jamal, scoring his 71 runs on the third day of the first Test match against Pakistan in Multan.

The 33-year-old, competing in his 147th Test match, achieved this milestone in 14 fewer matches than Cook and currently ranks fifth on the all-time list.

He played his first Test match against India in Nagpur in 2012 and has since scored 34 Test centuries, with his highest score being 254 against Pakistan.

Root, who hails from Sheffield and led the England team in a remarkable 64 Test matches, now ranks just behind India's Rahul Dravid, South Africa's Jacques Kallis, Australia's Ricky Ponting, and India's Sachin Tendulkar.

The iconic Tendulkar, known for his impressive career in 200 Test matches, leads with a staggering 15,921 runs. However, Root is aiming to surpass that record if he maintains his current level of performance for the next three to four years.

The right-handed batsman from Yorkshire, who maintains an average slightly above 50, is currently enjoying one of the strongest phases of his career, boasting an impressive average of 61 since the start of 2023.

Root set a new record at 07:49 BST on the same day his younger brother Billy is scheduled to marry in South Wales. He achieved his 35th Test century during the afternoon session of the third day of the first Test match.

Root's incredible achievement has received praise from several former England players, including the very person whose record he has just eclipsed.

"Root must have realized he had set a new record. You can just sense that, right?" Cook shared with BBC Test Match Special. "And what an incredible shot to achieve it."

"Joe Root likely has more important matters to focus on now."

I'm not sure what his specific goal is, but he still has that strong drive and passion to keep making runs. Stepping down from the captaincy and returning to a more regular role was a tough adjustment. It seems like this experience has elevated his consistency to a whole new level.

Root has focused on steadily gathering runs throughout his career, and he has returned to that approach after his notorious out at the hands of Jasprit Bumrah in India last February, when he was caught at second slip while attempting a reverse scoop against the fast bowler.

"Since that time, he's been averaging around 75, which is truly impressive," Cook remarked.

"It was a wake-up call for him, and I've never witnessed such hunger, determination, or tenacity in anyone's batting before. He accomplishes it all with a certain grace."

BBC cricket reporter Jonathan Agnew commented: "It's an incredible accomplishment. He can check that off his list, it's complete. I'm certain that when he pulls out his phone, one of the first people he will message is Alastair Cook."

"It’s almost certain that whichever number Root ends up with in his final Test runs will remain unmatched."

In recent years, Root has surpassed some of England's cricket legends, including David Gower and Michael Atherton, who were both present in Multan to see him become the highest Test run-scorer for England.

"He's accomplished something extraordinary and has consistently been an outstanding player," Atherton remarked on Sky Sports.

"He has maintained remarkable consistency throughout the years, and he does so in a manner that is visually captivating. Nasser Hussain frequently highlights Root's strong character."

"He's a really good guy, which makes it even better. Athletes should be evaluated based on their performance, but being a decent person on top of that gives them an added bonus."

Gower commented, "It's an impressive accomplishment. Both Alastair and Joe excelled at accumulating runs and demonstrated the skill of remaining at the wicket long enough to score significant totals."

Their playing styles have some differences. I believe Alastair would agree that Joe Root has a more visually appealing approach compared to his own. However, both players possess exceptional skills and strong determination.

In Joe's situation, he appears to take such pleasure in it that the idea of leaving brings him significant distress.

by Soham Sarkhel, analyst at CricViz

From 2017 to 2022, Joe Root had a notable vulnerability to being out LBW by fast bowlers, with nearly 22% of his dismissals in this category occurring due to this issue.

In this period, his typical interception point against pace bowlers was 1.79 meters in front of the wickets. However, since the beginning of 2023, this has shifted to 2.17 meters—an increase of nearly 40 centimeters. This adjustment has significantly reduced the likelihood of being out LBW (leg before wicket).

During this time, just 11% of his dismissals due to fast bowling have been from leg-before-wicket (lbw) calls, which is nearly half the rate observed from 2017 to 2022.

Each year, he has gradually positioned himself further away from the stumps, and now he is batting at the greatest distance he has ever achieved in his Test career.

This shows how deeply he reflects on his batting and his desire to keep getting better, even though he’s already considered a great in Test cricket.