A closer look as Joe Root moves ahead of Brian Lara on Test run-scorers list

Root moved beyond 12,000 runs at Edgbaston.

Joe Root has overtaken Brian Lara, right, on the list of top Test run-scorers (Nigel French/Rebecca Naden/PA)

Joe Root moved past Brian Lara to seventh place on the all-time Test runs list after his 87 in the third Test against West Indies at Edgbaston.

Here, the PA news agency looks at how he compares.

Moving ahead of Lara

West Indies great Lara scored 11,953 runs in 131 Tests, with Root moving to 12,027 in 143 games after his efforts at Edgbaston.

Lara holds the record Test score of 400 not out, made against England in 2004. That was one of his 34 Test centuries, with an average of 52.89 for his career. He made five and 36 in a solitary appearance for an ICC World XI, with the rest of his records compiled with the Windies.

Root’s average is two runs fewer than Lara’s, despite having 21 not out innings to only six for Lara. He is behind by just two centuries having made 32 but does have significantly more half-centuries, 63 to 48.

Lara made his runs at an impressive strike rate of 60.51. Root, who has faced over 21,000 deliveries in Test cricket, has accelerated his own strike rate in the last couple of years in England’s ‘Bazball’ era to stand at 56.71 – behind only Lara and Ricky Ponting of the top 10 Test run scorers.

Lara struck 1,559 fours and 88 sixes – the latter figure double that of Root, who has 44 to go with 1,306 fours.

England record in sight

Sir Alastair Cook holds the record for Test runs scored for England (Mike Egerton/PA) (PA Archive)

While Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara is the next name ahead of Root on the list with 12,400 runs, he could be forgiven for his sights straying another 72 runs beyond that mark.

Only Sir Alastair Cook, Root’s predecessor as captain, has made more Test runs for England and his 12,472 – and fifth place on the all-time Test list – is on the horizon.

Cook himself predicted in early 2021 that Root would “fly past” his total and with three-Test series remaining this year against each of Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand, the record should be his barring a long-term injury.

India’s Rahul Dravid is ahead of Cook with 13,288, just one run behind former South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis in third.

Ex-Australia captain Ricky Ponting is second all-time with 13,378 while the record belongs to India great Sachin Tendulkar with 15,921 runs at an average of 53.79 – his 200 Tests and 51 centuries are also records.