ENG vs SL 2024: Joe Root surpasses Alastair Cook's tally of most Test centuries at Lord's

Star batter and mainstay, Joe Root has surpassed former skipper Alastair Cook's record for the most Test centuries by an England player. Root's achievement came during the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's, on Saturday, August 31. Notably, he not only broke the record but also joined an exclusive list of players to score centuries in both innings at the iconic venue.

Cook's longstanding record of 33 Test centuries for England has been a feat which was hard to match. But Root's consistent performances and run-scoring ability has seen him steadily climb the ranks, finally overtaking his predecessor in this memorable Test match at Lord's.

The 33-year-old's record-breaking 34th Test century came dramatically on day three of the match. With England at 196-8 in their second innings, Root found himself nervously approaching the milestone. Partnered with tail-ender Olly Stone, the right-hand batter managed to stick on the pitch, eventually reaching the century mark with a powerful cover drive off Lahiru Kumara. Interestingly, Cook was commentating and also witnessed his record getting broken live and showed a sense of pride and happiness when Root's historic moment arrived.

Check out Root's historic century moment here:

A special moment for Joe Root as he reaches 34 Test hundreds.

The man whose record he surpasses was watching on.

Sir Alastair Cook 🤝 Joe Root#bbccricket pic.twitter.com/EjjH9zd0mc

— Test Match Special (@bbctms) August 31, 2024

Also Read: Joe Root overtakes Rohit Sharma in highest centuries list with Lord's ton

Root becomes fourth player in Test history to score tons in both innings at Lord's

This century was particularly special as it marked Joe Root's second of the match, following his first-inning score of 143. By achieving this feat, the Yorkshire-born became only the fourth player in history to score twin centuries in a Lord's Test, joining the illustrious company of George Headley, Graham Gooch, and Michael Vaughan.

Also Read: Joe Root dedicates 33rd Test hundred to Graham Thorpe

Furthermore, he also surpassed Graham Gooch as the leading run-scorer in Tests at Lord's. His total of 246 runs in the match (143 and 103) played a crucial role in giving the visitors a challenging target of 483 to win.