England captain Joe Root on Friday has scored another scintillating knock alongside Dawid Malan and helped his side survive from 61 for 2 while chasing a first-innings deficit of 278 runs as well.
He scored his 51st Test half-century on day 3 of the first Ashes Test at Gabba. And when Root comes to bat on Saturday, he will be on the verge of breaking a huge record of the batting legend Sachin Tendulkar.
Root, while scoring a 158-ball 86, surpassed former England captain Michael Vaughan and became the highest run-getter from England in a single calendar year in Test cricket as well. Root now has 1541 runs in 25 innings this year which came at an average of 67 with six centuries and two fifties. He remains unbeaten on his score of 86.
He now needs only 22 runs to surpass Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 1562 runs, which he smashed in the year 2010, to become the fifth-highest run-getter in a single calendar year in the longer format, having also surpassed former Australian captain Ricky Ponting, who had amassed 1544 runs in 2005.
The list is led by Pakistan’s Mohammad Yousuf (1788 runs in 2006), then Viv Richards (1710 runs in 1976), Graeme Smith (1656 runs in 2008) and Michael Clarke (1595 runs in 2012) as well. Meanwhile, Joe Root also stands 115-runs short of surpassing Steve Smith’s score to become the captain with the most runs in a single calendar year.
Wake up to a Rooty cover drive 😍#Ashes pic.twitter.com/MTcf0aZXmI
— England's Barmy Army (@TheBarmyArmy) December 10, 2021
However, if not at the Gabba, Root will have another chance to in the remaining two Ashes Tests which will be played in 2021 as well. Notably, Root and Malan, who scored his ninth fifty, added a 159-run stand for the third wicket on the third day of the Ashes opener.
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