Former England skipper Joe Root has added a remarkable milestone in Test cricket by surpassing Rahul Dravid's record in the second match against New Zealand in Wellington. Joe Root became the first English batsman and the fourth player overall to score 100 plus fifties in Test cricket.
Root scored three runs in the first innings and England were bowled out for 280. New Zealand were then dismissed for 125 in their second innings. Ben Duckett (92) and Jacob Bethell (96) missed centuries but extended England's lead. Root came in at No. 4 to emphasize New Zealand.
Joe Root overtakes Rahul Dravid in Elite List of Test Batters
Joe Root reached his 65th half-century in Tests in the second innings. He surpassed Rahul Dravid's record of 99 fifty-plus scores. Root is now behind Sachin Tendulkar (119), Jacques Kallis (103), and Ricky Ponting (103). He was also the first England batsman to score 100 plus fifties in Tests.
A century of 50+ scores for Joe Root 🤩 pic.twitter.com/U5BLMhKyUF
– ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) December 7, 2024
In total, the English batsman has scored nearly 13,000 runs in 151 Tests at an average of 51.00, including 35 centuries and 65 fifties. Root has been in outstanding form in 2024, scoring 1,437 runs at an average of 57.48, including five centuries and five fifties. He is the leading run scorer in Tests this year.
Test batteries with most fifty plus scores
| a player | Matches | Score 50-plus |
|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | 200 | 119 |
| Jacques Kallis | 166 | 103 |
| Ricky Ponting | 168 | 103 |
| Joe Root | 151 | 100 |
| Rahul Dravid | 164 | 99 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul | 164 | 96 |
Most tests run away from home
| a player | Team | Running |
|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 8,705 |
| Rahul Dravid | India | 7,690 |
| Jacques Kallis | South Africa | 5,919 |
| Joe Root | England | 5,808* |
| Brian Lara | The West Indies | 5,736 |
“I'm not sure what the plans are. ” – Gus Atkinson
Root scored an unbeaten 73 runs off 106 balls, including five boundaries, on Day 2. The Ben Stokes-led side ended the day at 378/5 in 76 overs. Stokes was still not out on 35 runs off 26 balls, including one boundary and two sixes. They extended their lead to 533 runs in the second test match.
English bowler Gus Atkinson said he is not sure about England's plans for the rest of the game. He said they would assess the conditions early the next day and adjust accordingly. Atkinson expressed disappointment that Jacob Bethell missed his first century.
“I'm not sure what the plans are, to be honest! We'll see tomorrow. Assess conditions early and go from there,” Atkinson told TNT Sports.
“I think we'll stick with the usual stuff. Challenge the bats as much as we can. Then if it doesn't work for us, we'll go back to other plans. Whatever it is, We'll see, but we won't try anything too different tomorrow.”
“It's a pity. He (Jacob Bethell) batted so beautifully. It would have been good for him to get his first hundred but it will take a lot from him. He was fantastic.”
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