Joe Root sets new world record in WTC; joins elite company during Multan Test

Joe Root, the batting maestro of the England cricket team, has once again etched his name in the history books. On Day 2 of the ongoing first Test match between Pakistan and England in Multan, Root achieved an epic milestone, setting a world record in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC).

The former England captain became the first player ever to surpass 5000 runs in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC), cementing his legacy as one of the modern greats of the game.

England's Joe Root sets world record in Multan Test against Pakistan

Entering the match just 27 runs shy of the record, Joe Root wasted no time in making his mark. He made a composed 32 off 54 deliveries, including two boundaries, to reach an extraordinary 5005 runs in 59 Test matches in the WTC.

The England legend’s remarkable consistency has left other giants trailing, with Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne being in second place with 3904 runs, followed by another Aussie, Steve Smith, at number three with 3484 runs in WTC.

Root achieved this milestone in his 59th WTC match at an impressive average of over 52. Throughout the WTC competition, the legendary English batter has recorded 16 centuries and 20 half-centuries, establishing himself as the leading run-scorer by a significant margin.

Players with the most runs in WTC history:

Joe Root (England): 5000* runs in 59 Tests

Marnus Labuschagne (Australia): 3904 runs in 45 Tests

Steve Smith (Australia): 3486 runs in 45 Tests

Ben Stokes (England): 3101 runs in 48 Tests

Babar Azam (Pakistan): 2755 runs in 32 Tests

Joe Root joins an elite club of legends with his fifth 1000+ Test runs in a calendar year

Well, Joe Root's dominance didn’t stop there, as the former England captain also achieved another incredible milestone during the ongoing Multan Test. He crossed the 1000-test run mark in a calendar year for the fifth time in his career.

This rare achievement has put Root in the elite club, joining legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, and Kumar Sangakkara. Only Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar has managed to achieve this feat more times than the others.

The Master Blaster is leading the chart by amassing 1000+ test runs six times in a calendar year. Now, Root is the only active player among these legends, and he has a great chance to overtake Tendulkar to set another world record next year.

Overall, Root has so far amassed more than 12,400 runs in 147 Test matches for England with 34 centuries and 64 half-centuries to his name. Now, he needs only 39 runs to overtake Alastair Cook as England's top-scorer in Test cricket.

Pakistan in a strong position against England in the Multan Test

Speaking about ongoing Pakistan vs England Test match, the home team has scored an impressive 556 runs in their first innings, thanks to remarkable centuries from captain Shan Masood, opener Abdullah Shafique, and all-rounder Agha Salman.

This marks only the fourth time when three Pakistani players have scored centuries in the same innings of a Test match against England. Notably, Masood and Shafique added a mammoth 253 runs for the second wicket in the ongoing Multan Test against England.

Well, England resumed the play of Day 3 with the opener Zak Crawley’s wicket for 78 runs, and it was time Shaheen Afridi struck with the ball at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Currently, England’s score read 154/2, trailing by 402 runs against Pakistan in the three-match Test series opener.