Joe Root has become the second England batter to score 10,000 Test runs.
Root reached the landmark by scoring a century on day four of the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s.
He is the 14th player to achieve the feat, with ex-captain Sir Alastair Cook the only other England player to do so.
Aged 31 years, five months and five days, Root has reached 10,000 runs at exactly the same age as Cook – making the pair the joint-youngest players to reach the milestone.
- England v New Zealand, first Test – follow live text, TMS & in-play clips
Former captain Root told BBC Test Match Special: “I just love batting, I want to score as many runs as I can for the group and it’s nice to do it at the start of the summer.
“It is nice to spoken about in the same breath as England’s greatest ever batter Alastair Cook, it is a privilege.”
Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, Rahul Dravid, Kumar Sangakkara, Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Mahela Jayawardene, Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Sunil Gavaskar and Younis Khan are the other batters to reach the milestone.
Cook said: “I was so glad I was here to witness that – an unbelievable knock by an unbelievable player.
“He is the most complete England batsman in all forms.”
Last year Root scored 1,708 Test runs, the third best haul in history, as he found remarkable form despite the struggles of England’s other batters.
He has scored 26 Test centuries, the second most for England behind Cook, who hit 33.
The numbers behind Root’s 10,000
| Youngest players to 10,000 Test runs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Age | Date achieved |
| Joe Root (England) | 31 years, 5 months, 5 days | 5 June 2022 |
| Alastair Cook (England) | 31 years, 5 months, 5 days | 30 May 2016 |
| Sachin Tendulkar (India) | 31 years, 10 months, 20 days | 16 March 2005 |
| Jacques Kallis (South Africa) | 33 years, 4 months, 11 days | 27 Feb 2009 |
| Ricky Ponting (Australia) | 33 years, 5 months, 11 days | 30 May 2008 |
| Most Test runs in history | |
|---|---|
| 1. Sachin Tendulkar (Ind) – 15,921 | 8. Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI) – 11,867 |
| 2. Ricky Ponting (Aus) – 13,378 | 9. Mahela Jayawardene (SL) – 11,814 |
| 3. Jacques Kallis (SA) – 13,289 | 10. Allan Border (Aus) – 11,174 |
| 4. Rahul Dravid (Ind) – 13,288 | 11. Steve Waugh (Aus) – 10,927 |
| 5. Alastair Cook (Eng) – 12,472 | 12. Sunil Gavaskar (Ind) – 10,122 |
| 6. Kumar Sangakkara (SL) – 12,400 | 13. Younis Khan (Pak) – 10,099 |
| 7. Brian Lara (WI) – 11,953 | 14. Joe Root (Eng) – 10,015 |
| How does Root compare? | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Innings | Joe Root | Alastair Cook | Sachin Tendulkar |
| 100 | 4,789 | 4,168 | 4,962 |
| 150 | 6,775 | 6,912 | 7,869 |
| 200 | 9,278 | 8,691 | 10,265 |
| 218 | 10,015 | 9,780 | 10,769 |
| 291 | 12,472 | 14,726 | |
| 329 | 15,921 | ||
‘A spine tingling ovation’ – how social media reacted
Jon: Joe Root – one of the all time greats. Undisputed. What a player. What a man.
Emma: ROOOOOOOOOT! A ton and ten thousand Test career runs. Awesome, incredible cricketer.
Dave: Joe Root is an absolute phenomenon. What a privilege to watch him bat. A master.
Rob: Joe Root. What a player! Arguably England’s greatest ever batsman. He may no longer be captain, but he’s still leading by example. We are lucky to have him. Congratulations on 10,000 runs and another majestic Test century.
AJ Peake: If Root can have another four-five years even approaching what he did in 2021, he will be right up there to break Tendulkar’s record. We’ve been incredibly lucky to see this man bat.
Simon: Humble, modest, selfless and an absolute master of his art. What a fitting weekend for our greatest current national sporting treasure to shine so brightly.