Courtesy of an effortless half-century against Ireland in the one-off Test, England’s Joe Root breached the 11,000-run mark in the longest format, becoming the fastest to attain the milestone in terms of matches, reaching there in his 130th game.
Root’s innings at London’s Lord’s Cricket Ground on Friday, June 2. England were in the driver’s seat due to Ollie Pope’s magnificent double century (205 runs off 208 balls) and Ben Duckett’s 178-ball 182.
The Three Lions received additional assistance from Test specialist Root, who joined the fray and maintained the innings with 56 runs off 59 balls, including four fours and a six. When he reached 52 with a single off Curtis Campher, he achieved a remarkable feat.
It is noteworthy that he became the second English batsman to accomplish this feat, following England legend Alastair Cook. Root is also England’s second-highest run scorer in the format, with 11,004 runs, trailing only Cook (12,474 runs). He has scored 58 half-centuries and 29 tons, with an impressive average of 50.46 runs per inning.
Root also retains the record for the most runs scored in the 2021–23 cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC) with 1,915, including six fifties and eight centuries, in 22 matches. Root also mentioned a 146-run third-wicket partnership with Pope while discussing the game.
Andy McBrine, however, ended Joe Root inning at 56. Notably, Ireland was bowled out for a meager 172 thanks to Stuart Broad’s five-for. With the pivotal Ashes 2023 set to begin in mid-June, Root will attempt to maintain his excellent form in their pursuit of the Ashes.
The fastest batsmen to reach 11,000 Test runs (by Tests)
Joe Root, match number 130
Brian Lara, match number 131
Kumar Sangakkara, 134th match
Mahela Jayawardena, 149th encounter
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