On Tuesday, England batsman Joe Root joined an exclusive group, becoming just the eighth player in international cricket to amass over 23,000 runs across all formats. Root achieved the milestone during England’s inaugural ODI against Sri Lanka at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le -Street.
He reached the milestone on his 394th international appearance, requiring just three runs to do so. The 35-year- old was eventually bowled out for 44 off 52 balls, hitting five fours. He is England’s top run-scorer in both Test and ODI cricket and the first English batsman to reach 23,000 international runs.
Root is the first English batsman in history to amass 23,000 runs across all formats internationally, putting him on par with seven of the game’s most decorated batters. The full list of players who have achieved this milestone now includes: Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Kumar Sangakkara, Ricky Ponting, Mahela Jayawardene, Jacques Kallis, Rahul Dravid, and Root.
Root achieved 23,000 international runs in 521 innings, becoming the second-fastest batter to reach that mark based on innings played. Kohli established the record that still stands as the fastest, reaching it in 490 innings. Tendulkar, who had occupied second place for many years, needed 522 innings, just one more than Root required at Riverside Ground.
By surpassing Tendulkar’s innings tally, Root has taken a record that had remained undefeated for a significant time. He currently has 14,278 runs in Test cricket, still some distance behind Tendulkar’s record of 15,921, but Root continues to compete in all three formats and keeps adding to his tally with every series.
Alastair Cook, the former England opener, is next on the list of English batsmen, having scored 15,737 international runs in 257 matches. Cook scored 12,472 of those runs in Test matches. Root has played a pivotal role in England cricket across all formats. After securing a 3-0 sweep in the T20I series, England shifted their focus to the ODI series against Sri Lanka. Harry Brook is at the helm for England in the ODIs.
