Joe Root Matches England’s Test Century Record in Sri Lanka Test

On the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, Joe Root scored his 33rd Test century record, matching the England record set by Alastair Cook. Root reached this milestone while batting in the opening innings, ending the day at 81 not out. He faced 162 balls and hit 13 fours during his innings.

Century Details

Root was very close to his century when he was on 99, but he managed to guide a delivery from Lahiru Kumara through the gap between slip and gully for a four to complete his hundred. He was eventually out for 143 runs after playing a reverse scoop off Milan Rathnayake, which was caught by Pathum Nissanka at point. At this point, England was at 308-7.

Record Comparison

With this century, Root tied with Alastair Cook’s record of 33 Test centuries. However, Root achieved this in 145 Test matches, while Cook needed 161 matches. Root is now ranked joint-tenth in the all-time list of Test century-makers. Sachin Tendulkar leads this list with 51 centuries in 200 Tests.

Joe Root, at 33 years old, is currently the only active cricketer in the top ten of this list; all other players are retired from Test cricket.

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