OTD | Joe Root became the 14th batter to achieve 10000 Test runs milestone in 2022

Scoring over 10,000 runs in any format of the game is one of the greatest achievements for a batter. Achieving this milestone requires great skill, remarkable consistency and incredible fitness for a long career. In the history of Test cricket, only 14 players have managed to climb this mountain so far, the latest entrant being former England captain Joe Root.

Root, a prolific batter who can also bowl handy off-spin spells, achieved the feat during the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s in 2022. Chasing a target of 277 in the fourth innings, Root’s historic knock led the hosts to a convincing five-wicket victory. He clipped kiwi fast bowler Tim Southee for a couple in the 77th over to enter the elusive 10k Test runs club. 

It was icing on the cake for the right-hander as those two runs also brought up his 26th Test century (115* off 170). Along with helping his team register a memorable victory, Root became the second player from his country after Alastair Cook to reach 10,000 runs in the longest format of the game. 

The two are the most recent to reach the milestone together. Co-incidentally, both Root and Cook were 31 years and 157 days old when they touched the 10,000-run mark. Meanwhile, Root became the fastest England batter to achieve the landmark as he got there in 218 innings while Cook took 229 innings. Overall, the 33-year-old is the 10th fastest player to reach the milestone in terms of innings. 

Can Root pip legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s record?

Root became the first player to cross the barrier since Younis Khan achieved the feat in 2017. It was India legend Sunil Gavaskar who broke this barrier for the first time during a match against Pakistan in March 1987. Root is currently the 10th highest run-scorer in red ball history – 11,736 from 140 matches. Notably, he is the only active player who have scored over 10,000 runs. 

With a few more years left in his illustrious career, the focus is on whether the Yorkshire cricketer can break Sachin Tendulkar’s legendary record of most Test runs. The Master Blaster is leading the way with 15921 runs, which he achieved from 200 Test matches.  

Also read: Zaheer Abbas laced a glorious 274 against England at Edgbaston in 1971