Joe Root passes 12,000 Test runs as England close in on parity with West Indies
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On the second day at Edgbaston, Joe Root reached 12,000 Test runs and moved past Brian Lara in the all-time list of top scorers. England worked hard to catch up with the West Indies.
The West Indies had a strong beginning as they aimed to build on their first-innings score of 282, managing to take two quick wickets and putting England in a difficult position at 54 for five in the third Test.
During tea time, England was only trailing by eight runs with a score of 274 for seven, with much of the credit going to their previous captain.
Root ended the negative trend by partnering with current captain Ben Stokes for a 115-run stand and achieving his personal milestones with a well-controlled 87 runs.
His 14th run surpassed Lara's career total of 11,953 Test runs, outplaying one of the legends of Caribbean cricket while also annoying the current players. His 60th run made him the seventh player ever to achieve 12,000 runs in history.
Root is the sole player in action on the list, and it won't be long before he surpasses Sir Alastair Cook's 12,472 runs to become the highest-scoring English player.
Stokes lost his wicket by playing a careless shot when he reached 54 runs, and Root was skillfully dismissed by Gudakesh Motie just before he could reach his 33rd Test century. However, wicketkeeper Jamie Smith stepped up to continue their efforts.
He scored an impressive 57 runs without getting out, hitting six fours and smashing a powerful shot that cleared the Hollies Stand. His captain was amazed as he watched the ball sail out of the stadium from the balcony.
During the match, Kraigg Brathwaite, the captain of West Indies, had the opportunity to make a significant impact by challenging the umpire's decision when Jayden Seales appealed for lbw against Root early in the game. Root would have been declared out if DRS was used, but Brathwaite chose not to take that chance. As a result, Root capitalized on this second chance and played a crucial role in bringing his team back into the game, which was starting to slip away from them.
Continuing from 38 runs with three wickets down after a challenging eight-over period on the initial evening, the team faced even more difficulties as they lost two wickets in just seven balls. Initially, Ollie Pope hit his own stumps and then Harry Brook was caught behind by Seales while trying to play a risky shot.
This brought Stokes and Root together, as the former and current captains of England worked together to lead their team to smoother sailing. The audience cheered as Root surpassed Lara's record, which was displayed on the large screen. Root celebrated by hitting the next two deliveries for four runs.
Stokes was aggressive in his play, attacking any loose deliveries, while Root played patiently and built his innings.
After reaching the age of 50 without any concerns, Stokes suddenly decided to start making up ground. He quickly shifted into higher gear, hitting Jason Holder down the ground and then sending Motie's delivery over mid-wicket for a six.
Stokes was prepared to take control but ended up relinquishing it easily, accepting Alzarri Joseph's offer to try out his pull shot and getting caught by Brathwaite who jumped at midwicket.
Smith kept the pace steady, playing some truly classical strokes before shifting to rely more on strength than precise timing.
He fell for the same trick as Stokes but executed his swing flawlessly, sending Joseph soaring well beyond the boundary. The wicketkeeper from Surrey pulled off a similar move during his first game at Lord's and is quickly building an impressive collection of memorable moments.
Root missed his century by 13 runs when Motie's left-arm spin bowled him out. However, Smith quickly reached his half-century in only 60 balls to help England maintain their lead.
