Joe Root Aims to Rewrite England’s Test Record Book in Manchester!

Joe Root is currently representing England in the first Test match against Sri Lanka, which commenced on August 21 at Old Trafford, Manchester. After successfully dismissing the Sri Lankan team for 236 runs in their first innings, England ended Day 1 at 22-0, having faced just four overs. The English batters are set to aim for a strong performance on Day 2 to secure a substantial lead over the Dhananjaya de Silva-led Sri Lankan side.

On the second day, Root has a golden opportunity to surpass Indian star Yashasvi Jaiswal and emerge as the leading run-scorer in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle. Root, who previously led the scoring charts in the three-match Test series against the West Indies last month, currently boasts 1,023 runs from 14 matches. In contrast, Jaiswal, who is gearing up to return for India during the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh next month, has accumulated 1,028 runs in just nine matches.

As of now, the leading run-scorers in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle feature Yashasvi Jaiswal from India at the top, with 1,028 runs in nine matches. Following closely is England’s Joe Root, who has scored 1,023 runs across 13 matches. Zak Crawley, also from England, occupies the third position with 984 runs in 13 matches. Usman Khawaja from Australia ranks fourth, amassing 943 runs in 12 matches, while Ben Duckett, another English player, rounds out the top five with 855 runs in 14 matches, with one match still ongoing.

For Root to take the top spot, he needs to score at least six runs in his innings. He and Jaiswal are currently the only players to have crossed the 1,000-run mark in this WTC cycle.

As the world’s No. 1 Test batter, Root has a chance to break numerous batting records in the ongoing three-match Test series against Sri Lanka. With a remarkable career tally of 12,027 runs from 143 Tests, Root is just 446 runs shy of surpassing Alastair Cook’s record of 12,472 runs, making him England’s all-time leading run-scorer in Test matches.

Additionally, Root is on the verge of making history as the first batter to score 5,000 runs in the WTC, further emphasizing his pivotal role in England’s cricketing journey. Fans and analysts alike will be watching closely as Root aims to cement his legacy in this series.