NZ vs ENG: Joe Root becomes first England batter to achieve 100 Fifty-plus scores in Tests

Time flies by and things change in the world of cricket but only a few players have the calibre and the liking to score runs for fun. Hence, the act of breaking records becomes synonymous with them along the way. Star England batter Joe Root etched his name in the elite list of batters yet again during the ongoing second Test of the series against New Zealand, being played at the Basin Reserve, in Wellington.

This time, Root broke into record books by becoming the first English batter to score a century of fifties in the Test format. After failing to make a mark in the first innings, the 33-year-old remained unbeaten on 73* off 106 deliveries. As a result, he also became only the fourth batter in Test history to have scored 100 fifty-plus scores. Besides, he has hit four boundaries so far and will hope to score big ahead.

Apart from Joe Root, India’s former batting legend, Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for scoring the most fifty-plus knocks during his stellar career. Notably, Tendulkar has 119 half-centuries to his name including a mind-boggling 51 centuries in the purest format of the game. The next best in the list is South Africa’s legendary all rounder Jacques Kallis who piled up 103 fifties and 45 hundreds during his illustrious Test career. While the former Australia Captain and batter, Ricky Ponting, takes the third spot with 103 fifties and 41 centuries.

Meanwhile, speaking of the second Test, after New Zealand invited England to bat first, they were in a spot of bother with scores reading 43/4 at one stage. But the duo of Harry Brook (123 off 115 deliveries) and Ollie Pope (66 off 78 deliveries) stitched a match-defining 174-run stand for the fifth wicket to make a grand comeback. Consequently, England finished their first innings with 280 runs on the board.

In reply, Atkinson’s (4/31) brilliant hattrick meant that New Zealand got folded cheaply for just 125 runs. Following that, England scored 378/5 at stumps on Day 2 and gained a lead of 533 runs. Among notable performances, Ben Duckett (92), Jacob Bethell (96) and Harry Brook (55) cracked half-centuries.

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Most Fifty-plus scores by a batter in Tests