Joe Root is currently ranked the number one Test batsman in the world and he is almost certainly England’s greatest all-format batter ever. He has set so many records over his long career and will reach many new marks in what remains of his time. Still just 34, he is obviously not showing any signs of his standards slipping – his ranking proves that – and he could well play on for four or five years. Legends such as Sachin Tendulkar excelled into their late 30s and beyond, whilst Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq is the oldest captain to score a Test century, doing so at the ripe old age of 42. The point is, Root has plenty more runs in the tank.
However, his latest achievement saw him become the first Englishman, and just the fifth player of all time, to reach 13,000 runs in Test cricket. Coming into the recent clash against Zimbabwe, the former skipper needed just 28 runs to join the elite club. Whilst his score of 34 fell well short of the three centurions who came before him, it was enough to see him hit the lofty benchmark.
The 13,000 Club
There are some that argue against Don Bradman being the greatest Test batsman of all time but we feel it is a very tricky contention to maintain. The Australian’s average is simply so far above any player, of his own era or any other, that we feel he has to be considered the batting GOAT. His conversion of 50s into 100s, plus the number of double centuries he hit (12 from 52 matches, with Kumar Sangakkara’s 11 from 134 the next best) provide further proof that he is the best of the best.
However, naming the second-best player, or the greatest of the modern era, is far more challenging. There are many different ways of looking at things and various metrics that can be used. Some would say that Root is right up there in the debate, whereas others would disagree and suggest that he just behind the group who can claim to be the best of the rest.
What we can say with absolute certainty, however, is that only four men have scored more runs than the Yorkshireman in the most testing format of the game. These are the famous five of the 13,0000+ club:
| Player | Runs | Innings | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | 15,921 | 329 | 53.78 |
| Ricky Ponting | 13,378 | 287 | 51.58 |
| Jacques Kallis | 13,289 | 280 | 55.37 |
| Rahul Dravid | 13,288 | 286 | 52.31 |
| Joe Root | 13,006 | 279 | 50.80 |
This table makes another thing very clear: the four players to have outscored Root will very soon be reduced to just one. England will play nine Tests against India and Australia before this year is out. Those are incredibly difficult matches against two magnificent sides, with the challenge Down Under set to be especially tough.
Even so, with potentially 18 Test innings to play this year alone, it would be a big surprise if the Sheffield native did not score the 373 runs he needs to move second on the all-time list. Whether he can surpass the Little Master is another question with Sachin having made his Test debut at the age of just 16 and played his last game almost exactly 24 years later!
That is a serious career timespan and the Indian has currently played 47 more Tests than Root, taking to the crease exactly 50 more times. With Root now 2,915 runs behind, he would need to motor to overtake Tendulkar before having more innings. However, he has scored 900 runs or more in seven calendar years, registering a massive 1,708 in 2021, 1,098 the following year, and 1,556 in 2024 (he scored “just” 787 in 2023 but played around half the number of matches).
Based on those sorts of numbers, the intensive Test schedule England have and the unlikelihood of Root being dropped, it seems there is a very good chance of Root overtaking the current record-holder. Should he manage to do so, the argument for him being second only to Bradman would grow stronger, but it would certainly be very difficult to suggest he was not up there with players such as Tendulkar, Ponting, Steve Smith and others.
Root’s Records and Milestones
Root was the player to reach 13,000 runs the fastest in terms of the number of Tests played, though he is the slowest in terms of innings, with Tendulkar the fastest by that measure (266 to Root’s 279). He has the third-highest number of Test 50s, with his 65 three shy of another record held by the Little Master, who boasts 68. Root will probably move to the top of that particular table in 2025, but he is well off the pace when it comes to reaching three figures.
The number four has 36 centuries, which puts him joint fifth overall. Both he and Steve Smith have hit 36 centuries, the highest number by an active player, but well behind Tendulkar’s mighty 51. That may prove a bridge too far for Root but he could well move second, with Kallis currently the man to beat on 45. Whether the occasional spin bowler can match the legendary South Africa all-rounder’s haul of 292 Test wickets is rather doubtful – just 222 to go!
Root’s highest score is 262, achieved against Pakistan. That was the sixth and most recent of his double centuries, the same number as Kane Williamson, one fewer than Virat Kohli and half as many as Bradman managed. Brian Lara is third overall with nine, whilst Sri Lankan maestro Sangakkara is second with 11.
Even in the modern era, this next stat is none too important, but of the players to have made 13,000 runs, only Ponting scored them more briskly than Root (the Aussie’s strike rate was 58.72, compared to the Englishman’s 57.51). One more important stat where Ponting leads Root is in terms of centuries Down Under, with that perhaps the biggest blight on the latter’s copybook.
The Yorkshireman has played 14 matches in Australia, going to the crease 27 times, and yet his highest score there is 89. He averages just under 36 Down Under, compared to that 50+ career number. He has nine half centuries but few would bet too much against him finally getting to three figures in an away Ashes Test in the upcoming series. There will be plenty more records and runs to come for this England legend.