How Joe Root compares to batting greats after setting new England century record

The Yorkshireman made his 34th Test century against Sri Lanka on Saturday.

Joe Root acknowledges the crowd after his second-innings century against Sri Lanka at Lord’s (Ben Whitley/PA) (PA Wire)

Joe Root passed Sir Alastair Cook as the England batter with the most Test centuries after making two in the match against Sri Lanka at Lord’s.

As 33-year-old Root continues to close on Cook’s national record for Test runs, the PA news agency looks at how he compares to the leading centurions for his country and worldwide.

England

Cook retired in 2018 with 33 Test centuries to his name, 10 clear of his nearest challenger among England batters which at the time was Kevin Pietersen.

Root had 14 to his name by that point, in 74 Tests, but has played another 71 since and added 20 tons to his total.

He first matched and then beat Cook’s tally during the second Test against Sri Lanka, with scores of 143 in the first innings and 103 in the second.

Pietersen still has the third-most England centuries, one ahead of a four-way tie between Wally Hammond, Colin Cowdrey, Sir Geoffrey Boycott and Ian Bell on 22.

Sir Andrew Strauss made 21 with the top 10 completed by Ken Barrington and Graham Gooch on 20 apiece.

Root is one of only three in that group to average over 50, with his current mark of 50.93 trailing only Barrington (58.67) and Hammond (58.45). His efforts are backed up by 64 half-centuries, also an England record, for a total of 98 scores of 50 or more in his 265 innings.

Root has made centuries – and at least two – in every year of his international career with the exceptions of 2012, when his December debut was his only appearance, and a 2020 schedule disrupted by the Covid pandemic.

World’s best

With Root joining a minor international logjam on 34 Test centuries, alongside Younis Khan, Brian Lara, Sunil Gavaskar and Mahela Jayawardene, only five men remain ahead of him on the all-time list.

India’s Rahul Dravid and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara will be firmly in his sights, having made 36 and 38 Test tons respectively, even if the top three remains a longer-term aspiration.

Ricky Ponting made 41 Test centuries for Australia, Jacques Kallis 45 for South Africa and Sachin Tendulkar a record 51 for India.

They all averaged over 50 – indeed, of the top 10 now completed by Root, the only one who does not is Jayawardene at 49.84.

Root reached the mark in his 145th Test and while of those on 34 tons, only Jayawardene played more (149), those ahead of him mostly played significantly more games.

Tendulkar retired after his 200th Test and Kallis, Ponting and Dravid played over 160, with the sole exception being Sangakkara with 134 games.

Only Tendulkar (119), Kallis and Ponting (both 103) have over 100 scores of 50-plus in Tests, meaning Root is two away from becoming the fourth and just six away from holding second position outright in that list.