"Can see him overhauling Sachin's record...": Cook on Joe Root

Former England captain and batter Alastair Cook has praised compatriot Joe Root for surpassing his record as the leading run-scorer for England, and backed him to challenge Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar's record for most runs in Test cricket. On Wednesday, Root achieved the milestone by surpassing Cook to become England's all-time leading Test run-scorer.

Speaking to the BBC, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo, Cook said he had always expected his record to be broken, and believes that Root's removal from Test captaincy has been beneficial for him. "I can see him overtaking Sachin Tendulkar's record. When I retired, I thought my record would likely be broken. The only thing that could have stopped him was the toll of captaincy. I think Ben Stokes taking over as captain has helped Root," Cook said.

While Cook still considers Tendulkar the favourite to retain his record, he believes that unless Root suffers a significant injury, his ability and determination will drive him forward. "You could say Sachin is still the favourite, but only just. He has been fortunate with injuries, and most great players who play for a long time are. Something like that could stop Root, but I don't see him losing the hunger or ability to keep pushing himself for the next few years," Cook added.

He also mentioned the potential challenge of the upcoming Ashes series, which he said always has its share of drama. "The only slight hurdle for Root is the Ashes series in 14 months. There's always something going on around it. I'd give Sachin a 5 per cent chance and Root 49 per cent. But I'd put my money on Root," Cook concluded.

At the close of day three of the first Test against Pakistan in Multan, Root was just seven runs shy of becoming the first English player to reach 20,000 runs in international cricket. He remained unbeaten on 176* off 277 balls, hitting 12 fours at a strike rate of over 63.

In 350 international matches, Root has accumulated 19,993 runs at an average of 49.12, with 51 centuries and 108 half-centuries. Root's record-breaking day saw him surpass Cook not only as England's highest run-scorer in Test cricket, but also as the fifth-highest run-scorer in the history of the format.

In 147 Tests, Root has scored 12,578 runs at an average of 51.33, with 35 centuries and 64 half-centuries. His highest score is 254. Cook's previous record stood at 12,472 runs in 161 Tests, with 33 centuries--a record Root broke during the recent series against Sri Lanka.

Root has now overtaken cricketing greats like Younis Khan, Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara, and Mahela Jayawardene, who each had 34 Test centuries, to become the sixth-highest century-maker in Test history. The all-time leading run-scorer and century-maker in Test cricket is Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar, with 15,921 runs in 200 Tests and 51 centuries. Root is steadily closing in on Tendulkar's record.

In this innings, Root also became the first player to surpass 5,000 runs in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC), introduced as a league-styled competition during the 2019-2021 cycle. In 59 WTC matches, Root has scored 5,149 runs at an average of 53.08, with 17 centuries and 20 half-centuries. His highest score is 228.

Root is also the leading run-scorer in the current ICC WTC 2023-25 cycle, with 1,574 runs in 17 Tests at an average of 60.53, including six centuries and six half-centuries. His highest score in this period is 176*. In the ongoing match, Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat, with centuries from skipper Shan Masood (151 off 177 balls, including 13 fours and two sixes) and Abdullah Shafique (102 off 184 balls, including 10 fours and two sixes), as well as a fine fifty from Saud Shakeel (82 off 177 balls, including eight fours), leading them to a total of 556 all out.

England's bowlers, led by spinner Jack Leach (3/160) and pacers Brydon Carse (2/74) and Gus Atkinson (2/99), shared the wickets. In their first innings, England were buoyed by half-centuries from Zak Crawley (78 off 85 balls, with 13 fours) and Ben Duckett (84 off 75 balls, with 11 fours).

After their dismissals, Root (176*) and Harry Brook (141* off 173 balls, with 12 fours and a six) dominated the Pakistan attack, leading England to 492/3 at the end of day three, trailing by just 64 runs. The pair have put on a 243-run partnership for the fourth wicket. (ANI)