Joe Root becomes first England batter to amass 17,000 international runs

Former England skipper Joe Root on June 5 (Sunday) became the first England player to cross the 17,000-run mark in the international arena. The right-handed batter achieved this feat during the first Test match played between England and New Zealand at Lord’s.

To note, Root scored an excellent century for the home side and went on to take his side over the victory line after smashing an unbeaten 115. As a result, Root was also adjudged player of the match for batting antics. Meanwhile, records continued to get unlocked from Root’s bat as earlier in the day he became the second English player to surpass the 10,000-run mark.

Root became the second England player to cross the 10,000-run mark after Alastair Cook

Root followed former England skipper Alastair Cook’s footsteps after becoming the second player to breach the 10,000-run mark. Talking about Cook’s numbers in Test format, the former England skipper has amassed 12,472 in 161 Tests at an average of 45.35. He also stroked 33 centuries and 57 half-centuries in the longest format of the game.

After completing the record, Root has now entered the elite list of players including Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar (15,921), Ricky Ponting (13,378), Jacques Kallis (13,289), Rahul Dravid (13,288), and Alastair Cook (12,472).

Talking about Root’s numbers in the international arena, the 31-year-old has played 118 Test matches and has scored 10,015 runs at a stunning average of almost 50. In ODIs, Root has played 152 matches and has amassed 6109 runs. In T20Is, Root has scored 893 runs in 32 matches.

Coming to the first Test match, New Zealand were bundled out for 132 runs in their first innings. However, the Kiwi side made a comeback in the match and bowled out England for just 141 runs in their first match. On the back of a century from Daryl Mitchell and the wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell’s 96, the visitors scored 285 runs in their second innings.

The home side was in a lot of trouble during their second innings, but an excellent batting performance from Root ensured that England win the first Test match by a margin of five wickets.