On the third day of the first Test in Multan, Root scored 71 against Pakistan with a beautiful straight drive past Aamer Jamal, surpassing Cook’s record of 12,472 Test runs.
In 14 fewer Tests than Cook, the 33-year-old, who is participating in his 147th Test, achieved the milestone and is currently ranked seventh all-time.
Since making his Test debut against India in Nagpur in 2012, he has amassed 34 hundreds, his best score being against Pakistan with a 254 run.
The Sheffield-born Root, who led England in a record 64 Test matches as captain, is currently only second in the world only after India’s Rahul Dravid, South Africa’s Jacques Kallis, Australia’s Ricky Ponting, and India’s Sachin Tendulkar.
The record holder, Tendulkar, who participated in 200 Test matches, leads the list with 15,921 runs, but if Root maintains his current level of performance for the next three to four years, he will surpass that total.
With an average of just over 50, the Yorkshire right-hander is playing at one of his finest levels in his career. Since the start of 2023, he has averaged 61.
Root is getting close to reaching his 35th century in Test matches. He broke the record on the same day that his younger brother Billy is scheduled to get married in South Wales.
