Former England captain Joe Root has added a notable milestone in Test cricket by surpassing Rahul Dravid’s record during the second match against New Zealand in Wellington. Joe Root became the first English batsman and fourth player overall to score 100-plus half-centuries in Test cricket.
Root scored three runs in the first innings as England were bowled out for 280. New Zealand were then bowled out for 125 in the second innings. Ben Duckett (92) and Jacob Bethell (96) both missed centuries but extended England’s lead. Root came in at No. 4 to pile on the pressure against New Zealand.
Joe Root overtakes Rahul Dravid in elite list of Test batsmen
Joe Root reached his 65th Test half-century during the second innings. He surpassed Rahul Dravid’s record of 99 fifty-plus scores. Root is now behind Sachin Tendulkar (119), Jacques Kallis (103) and Ricky Ponting (103). He also became the first England batsman to score more than 100 fifties in Tests.
A century of more than 50 scores for Joe Root 🤩 pic.twitter.com/U5BLMhKyUF
-ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) December 7, 2024
In total, the English batsman has scored close to 13,000 runs in 151 Tests at an average of 51.00, including 35 centuries and 65 fifties. Root has been in exceptional form in 2024, scoring 1,437 runs at an average of 57.48, including five centuries and five fifties. He is the leading run-scorer in this year’s Tests.
Test batsmen with most scores of fifty or more
| Player | Matches | More than 50 scores |
|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | 200 | 119 |
| Jacques Kallis | 166 | 103 |
| Ricky Ponting | 168 | 103 |
| Joe Root | 151 | 100 |
| Rahul Dravid | 164 | 99 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul | 164 | 96 |
Most tests are done outside the home
| Player | Equipment | Runs |
|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 8,705 |
| Rahul Dravid | India | 7,690 |
| Jacques Kallis | South Africa | 5,919 |
| Joe Root | England | 5,808* |
| Brian Lara | West Indies | 5,736 |
“I’m not sure what the plans are” – Gus Atkinson
Root scored an unbeaten 73 runs off 106 balls, including five boundaries, on Day 2. The Ben Stokes-led team finished the day with 378/5 in 76 overs. Stokes was not out on 35 runs off 26 balls, including one boundary and two sixes. They extended their lead to 533 runs in the second Test match.
England bowler Gus Atkinson said he is unsure of England’s plans for the rest of the match. He said they would assess conditions early the next day and adjust accordingly. Atkinson expressed disappointment that Jacob Bethell missed his first century.
“To be honest, I’m not sure what the plans are! We’ll see tomorrow. Assess the conditions early and go from there,” Atkinson told TNT Sports.
“I think we’ll stick to business as usual. We’ll challenge the hitters as much as we can. Then, if it doesn’t work for us, we’ll go back to other plans. Whatever they are, we’ll see, but I won’t try anything too different tomorrow.”
“It’s a shame. He (Jacob Bethell) batted very well. It would have been nice for him to get his first hundred, but he will learn a lot from it. He was outstanding.”
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