ENG vs NZ: England Batter Joe Root Becomes First Player To Score 3,000 Runs In World Test Championship History

The batter, Joe Root, has added another cap to his great cricketing career, as the 31-year-old former England captain became the first player in World Test Championship history to score more than 3,000 runs. 

England responded admirably to New Zealand’s first-innings total of 553, reaching 473/5 at stumps on Day 3 on Sunday, with to Root’s unbroken 163 with 25 boundaries and Ollie Pope’s 145. The hosts are only 80 runs behind the visitors’ first innings total after winning the first Test at Lord’s. 

Joe Root Scores Century No.27

Root scored his 27th Test century with a brilliant unbeaten inning. The 31-year-old has ten World Test Championship tonnes and nearly 1,000 more World Test Championship runs than his nearest rival, Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne. 

Root’s most recent innings brought him to level with Australia’s Steve Smith and India’s Virat Kohli in terms of centuries, and the right-hander is one of only two England players to have scored more than 10,000 Test runs in total. 

The reigning ICC Test Player of the Year has also moved up to second position in the Test batter rankings, with only Labuschagne ahead of him. 

Joe Root Receive Accolades From Teammates And Former Players

Root has received accolades from his teammates, with colleague centurion Pope praising the former captain as the greatest English player of all time. 

“We’re seeing England’s greatest ever,” Pope told BBC Sport. 

“Watching him do what he’s doing at the moment, it’s amazing. A joy to be a part of.” 

Michael Vaughan, a former England captain, agreed with Pope. 

 “We’re witnessing something special. I’ve known Joe for years and I really do believe he’s England’s greatest player,”  

Vaughan said. “He’s such a joy to watch and he makes batting look so easy. 

“It’s just that drive and determination. You’ve got to have an incredible appetite to just keep on scoring centuries.” 

Player and WTC runs (2019-2022) 

Joe Root (England) — 3,124 

Marnus Labuschagne (Australia) — 2,180 

Ben Stokes (England) — 1,865 

Steve Smith (Australia) — 1,811 

Babar Azam (Pakistan) — 1,614 

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