England’s Test cricket maestro Joe Root has achieved another milestone in his illustrious career.
On the second day of the third Test against New Zealand at Seddon Park, Root became only the second cricketer to score 1500 Test runs on multiple occasions in a calendar year, equaling former Australian captain Ricky Ponting’s record.
The right-handed batsman entered the match needing 30 runs to achieve the milestone and achieved the feat during the second session.
This is another chapter in his extraordinary career, he had previously scored 1,708 runs in 2021.
In 2024, he scored 1,502 runs in 17 matches, further cementing his reputation as one of the greatest Test batsmen of the modern era. His consistency can be compared to Ponting who crossed the milestone with 1,503 and 1,544 runs in 2003 and 2005 respectively.
Root joins a select group of players who have crossed the 1,500-run mark in a single year, including legends like Muhammad Yousuf, Viv Richards, Graeme Smith, Sachin Tendulkar and Michael Clarke.
Most Test runs in a calendar year:
Muhammad Yousuf (Pakistan) – 1,788
Viv Richards (West Indies) – 1,710
Joe Root (England) – 1,708
Graeme Smith (South Africa) – 1,656
Michael Clarke (Australia) – 1,595
Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 1,562
Ricky Ponting (Australia) – 1,544
Ricky Ponting (Australia) – 1,503
Joe Root (England) – 1,502*
Root has been in red-hot form in 2024 and even in his final Test of the year, he tops the board as the highest run-scorer in the Test format this year.
Most Test Runs in 2024:
Joe Root (England) – 1,502*
Yashasvi Jaiswal (India) – 1,304
Ben Duckett (England) – 1,134
Harry Brooke (England) – 1,099
Kamindu Mendes (Sri Lanka) – 1,049
The top-order batsman is on the verge of yet another historic achievement. If he scores another 84 runs in the ongoing match, he will become the first English player and only the fifth cricketer in history to score 13,000 Test runs.
His pursuit of 13,000 runs also gives him the chance to break Jacques Kallis’ record as the fastest player to reach the milestone in terms of matches.
Kallis achieved this feat in 159 Tests while India’s Rahul Dravid scored 160 runs. Root surpassed both legends by scoring 12,916 runs in 152 matches.