England’s batting maestro Joe Root has taken a significant step towards equaling the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s remarkable record of amassing 1000-plus Test runs in the most calendar years.
In the ongoing Test match against Pakistan, Root played a crucial role in stabilizing England’s innings after the early dismissal of stand-in skipper Ollie Pope. With Pakistan posting a formidable 556 runs on the back of centuries from Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, and Shan Masood, England faced an uphill task.
Root approached his innings with caution, ensuring that England did not lose further wickets. He rotated the strike effectively, found the boundary twice, and remained unbeaten on 32 runs from 54 deliveries.
This performance marked Root’s fifth calendar year in which he has crossed the 1000-run mark in Test cricket. He now stands level with cricket icons Brian Lara, Matthew Hayden, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara, and Alastair Cook for achieving this feat.
To match Tendulkar’s record, Root needs to accumulate 1000 Test runs in one more calendar year. Tendulkar currently holds the record with six calendar years in which he achieved this milestone.
Zak Crawley played an aggressive role for England, scoring a brisk 64 runs from 64 deliveries. His innings, which included 11 fours, put pressure on the Pakistan bowlers.
The duo of Root and Crawley forged an unbeaten 92-run partnership, guiding England to a score of 96/1 at the end of the day’s play. They trail Pakistan by 460 runs, with plenty of work still to do in the remaining days of the Test match.
