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.
Root, a Sheffield native who captained England in a record 64 Test matches, is currently just behind Ricky Ponting of Australia, Rahul Dravid of India, and Jacques Kallis of South Africa.
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.
In the afternoon session of the third day of the first Test, Root, who set the record at 07:49 BST on the day his younger brother Billy is scheduled to get married in South Wales, mentioned reaching his 35th Test century.
