3 records Joe Root can break during England vs Sri Lanka Test series

Table of Contents

Joe Root’s impressive record against Sri Lanka
Root’s recent milestones
Records within Root’s reach

England are set to host Sri Lanka in a highly anticipated three-Test series, beginning on August 21, 2024, at the Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester.

As the series approaches, all eyes are on England’s talismanic batter, Joe Root, who has been a dominant force in Test cricket and boasts a remarkable track record against Sri Lankan bowlers.

Currently, Root has 12,027 runs in 143 Tests at an average of 50.11, which includes 32 centuries and 63 fifties.

Joe Root’s impressive record against Sri Lanka

Root has accumulated 1,001 runs across 10 Tests against Sri Lanka, with an impressive batting average of 58.88. His standout performances in Test cricket include a double century in his first encounter against the Lankans in 2014 at Lord’s.

Root’s other best scores (228 and 186) came during England’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2021, when he crossed the 150-run mark twice at the Galle International Stadium.

Root’s recent milestones

In England’s recent home series against the West Indies, Root reached two significant milestones. In the second Test, he scored his 32nd century, equaling Alastair Cook’s record for the most Test centuries by an England player. During the third match, Root surpassed 12,000 Test runs, joining Cook as the only English players to achieve this feat.

Joe Root - Test cricket — Joe Root – Test cricket

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Records within Root’s reach

As the series against Sri Lanka approaches, Root will be eyeing three major records:

1. Most runs for England against Sri Lanka: Cook currently holds the record for the most runs by an England player against Sri Lanka, with 1,290 runs in 16 Tests. Root, with 1,001 runs in 10 matches, needs 290 more to surpass Cook and claim this record.

2. Most World Test Championship (WTC) runs:

Root has scored 4,598 runs in 55 WTC matches. If he can accumulate another 402 runs during the Sri Lanka series, he will become the first cricketer to reach 5,000 runs in the history of the WTC.

3. England’s all-time leading Test run-scorer: Root is closing in on Cook’s record of 12,472 runs in Test cricket for England. With 12,027 runs currently, Root needs just 446 more to surpass Cook and become England’s all-time leading run-scorer in the longest format.