Joe Root is currently the number one batsman in the world in the Test format and his form over the past few years has been stunning. On Thursday the 29th of August, 2024, he compiled his latest triple-digit score, eventually being dismissed for 143 against Sri Lanka, attempting one of his trademark shots, the reverse scoop.
His latest Test hundred took his tally to 33, which means he now has more centuries in the longest format than any player who is still active in the game. Moreover, his brilliant innings saw him move level with Sir Alastair Cook on the all-time list of English century makers.
Root’s Key Stats
Before we look in more detail at his exceptional career, here are some of the most important, yet simple, facts about the brilliant Yorkshireman’s Test match career. Note that the following information is correct as of the 30th of August, 2024, following Root’s first innings knock against Sri Lanka in the Test that commenced on the 29th of August.
- 33 Test Hundreds – Joint 10th on all-time list
- 64 Scores of 50+ – Third most of any batter
- 145 Matches and 264 Innings – 27 fewer innings than Cook to reach 33 hundreds
- 12,274 Runs – Seventh on the all-time list but within 150 of Cook in fifth
- Average of 50.71 – Highest of English batsman with 7,300+ Test runs
- Top Score of 254
- Strike Rate 56.82 – Of the 10 highest scorers in the format (only Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting have scored more quickly)
Root will turn 34 on the 30th of December but the signs suggest that, rather like his long-time teammate Jimmy Anderson, and football legend, Cristiano Ronaldo, he is getting better with age. What’s more, of the 10 highest run-makers in Test history, only his former teammate retired before the age of 37. Three even played on past their 39th birthday, and so there are surely several more records well within Root’s reach.
Where Might Root End Up?
Joe Root what have you just done!? 😱🤯 pic.twitter.com/SZ5aZ5f7kY
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 26, 2024
Many believe that Root is already the greatest all-format English batsman of all time. Others would claim that he is the best Test batter of the modern era, whilst some would claim he is the greatest Englishman of all time in terms of Tests. There are many experts and fans who would support all three of those claims.
Looking at where he sits in relation to the best players of all time, from any nation, some are more critical. They point out that whilst Root has hit a remarkable number of runs and centuries, he is not quite at the level of the very best of the best. It is true that there are other players with superior averages, better conversion rates between 50s and 100s, and better centuries-to-innings ratios. However, we are not here to debate where Root lies in historical, global terms, but simply to celebrate his brilliance and consider what other records might fall his way.
Key Records to Aspire To
The key records he might aspire to concern the most runs in Test matches and the most hundreds. With 33 centuries, he trails the legendary Indian ace, Sachin Tendulkar, by 18 tons and that could well prove out of reach. The Little Master played on until he was closer to 41 than 40, taking to the crease 329 times. Root could make it to 51 hundreds and tie with Sachin, and even surpass him, if he played to a similar sort of age and made three tons a year.
However, a more realistic target might be the 46 he would need to overtake South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis and move second on this list. Just one more century would see him move level with Lara, Sunil Gavaskar and other greats into joint-sixth. Three more would see him move into the top five, and we certainly wouldn’t rule out him getting there in 2024.
The Current Total Run Legends
In terms of total runs it is again the iconic Tendulkar who leads the way. Sachin’s tally of 15,921 is fully 2,543 than the man second on the list (Ponting). Root is 3,647 short of the Indian’s record and he certainly has an excellent chance of going past him based on current form. Just over 1,000 runs separates Root and Ponting, and so it is surely just a matter of time before the Yorkshireman goes past the men above him into second (at least!). Those greats are:
- Kumar Sangakkara – 12,400
- Alastair Cook – 12,472
- Rahul Dravid – 13,288
- Jacques Kallis – 13,289
- Ricky Ponting – 13,378
Root Surges Past Contemporaries
Joe Root is in the mood at Lord’s 👌 pic.twitter.com/NLwNXEJsaQ
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 31, 2024
Root has long been considered one of the finest batsmen of the current era. However, many would argue that both Kane Williamson and Steve Smith are greater players due to their superior averages (54.98 and 56.97 respectively). In addition, both players convert more 50s into 100s than Root has over the course of his career, and both hit hundreds more often than the Englishman.
Right now, Root has hit a century once every eight innings exactly, whilst Smith has required just over six, and Williamson five and a half. Virat Kohli (191 innings, 29 hundreds) has needed just over six and a half). However, what is impressive about Root is the way he has seemed to improve with age and his record in recent seasons has been stunning.
2021: Top Batsmen
If we look back to the start of 2021, the century tallies of the four greatest modern batsmen were as follows:
- Root – 17
- Williamson – 24
- Smith – 26
- Kohli – 27
2024: Top Batsmen
Three and a half years on those numbers look rather different, and whilst the players have played a very different number of games in the intervening period, Root’s rise is dramatic.
- Root – 33
- Williamson – 32
- Smith – 32
- Kohli – 29
Root Stats
Root began life as a Test batsman in brilliant fashion, hitting three hundreds and three fifties in his second full year of cricket in 2014. That excellent conversion rate slipped in the years ahead. In both 2015 and 2016, for example, he made 10 half-centuries but just three centuries. In 2020, he failed to register a single three-figure score but since then he has been sublime.
| Year | Runs | 100s | 50s | Average | Innings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1708 | 6 | 4 | 61.00 | 29 |
| 2022 | 1098 | 5 | 2 | 45.75 | 27 |
| 2023 | 787 | 2 | 5 | 65.58 | 14 |
| 2024 | 858 | 3 | 4 | 57.20 | 17 |
Looking at those stats, if Root can maintain this sort of level, he has a genuine chance of bettering Tendulkar’s tally of centuries. With seven (excluding the second innings of the ongoing clash with Sri Lanka) more Tests to come in 2024 alone, he certainly seems reasonably likely to move past his mark of almost 16,000 runs too.