Joe Root hit his 33rd and 34th Test centuries, surpassing England legend Alastair Cook in the number of hundreds during the Lord’s Test against Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka vs England, 2nd Test, Scorecard
Joe Root scored his second century in the Lord’s Test, surpassing Alastair Cook to become the England player with the most centuries in Test cricket.
With England amassing a huge lead in the second innings, Root came in and played a run-a-ball century, marking his 34th Test ton.
Earlier in the first innings, Sri Lanka started well with the ball at Lord’s after choosing to bowl first, but their plans were disrupted by Joe Root, who reached a record 33rd Test century.
Root, who has been in incredible form, came to the crease at 42/2 and dominated the Sri Lankan attack, with Harry Brook and later Jamie Smith providing some support.
England’s No.4 batted at a quick pace, offering just one minor opportunity when an inside edge off Milan Rathnayake missed the stumps and sped to the boundary.
Root struck a second century in the second innings as England took control at Lord’s, establishing a substantial lead.
With these two centuries, Root has now surpassed Cook for the most Test hundreds by an Englishman.
No current Test batter has as many centuries, and on the overall list, Root has made a significant entry as the joint-ninth highest century-maker.
Top Test Century-Makers
| Player | Centuries |
|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | 51 |
| Jacques Kallis | 45 |
| Ricky Ponting | 41 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | 38 |
| Rahul Dravid | 36 |
| Sunil Gavaskar | 34 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | 34 |
| Brian Lara | 34 |
| Younis Khan | 34 |
| Joe Root | 34 |
| Alastair Cook | 33 |
Root, now 33, is nearly equal to the number of hundreds Sachin Tendulkar had before turning 34 (35 Test centuries).
Root recently reached his 12,000th Test run, becoming the seventh-highest run-scorer of all time, and the 33-year-old has second-placed Ponting and Tendulkar’s overall record in his sights.
Root now has fifty centuries across all international cricket formats, making him only the second active player after Virat Kohli to reach this rare milestone.
The England star also went on to secure his 200th catch in Test cricket during Sri Lanka’s second innings.
