"Plenty of runs to get....": Joe Root after overtaking Cook in England Test runs tally

After a record-breaking day at Multan which witnessed him surpass Alastair Cook for most Test runs for his country, England batter Joe Root asserted that there are "plenty more runs to get" after reaching such a historic high in his career. On Wednesday, Root achieved the milestone by surpassing Cook to become England's all-time leading Test run-scorer.

Speaking in a video by England Cricket on their official X handle, Root said, "I am obviously proud, but still feel there's plenty more left to do, plenty of runs to get." "I am sure I will look back at it when I am finished and be very proud of it, but I think more than anything just the way we played today as a team is what stands out."

"We have still got an opportunity to win the game, which is really exciting. Hopefully we can kick on tomorrow," he 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 inning, 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)