Joe Root Breaks Ricky Ponting's Big World Record During 2nd Test vs Pakistan
England Test captain Joe Root continues to touch new heights in Test cricket. The right-handed batter scripted another record to his name, this time during the second Test match against Pakistan at Lord's, London.
- Written by NDTV Sports Desk
- Updated: August 29, 2026 07:31 pm IST
England Test captain Joe Root continues to touch new heights in Test cricket. The right-handed batter scripted another record to his name, this time during the second Test match against Pakistan at Lord's, London. Batting on Day 2, Root scored 24 runs before being dismissed LBW by Pakistan pacer Mohammad Ali. While the Test star couldn't take his innings deep, it was enough for him to break a long-standing record of Australia great Ricky Ponting. Root surpassed Ponting to become the player with the most Test runs on England soil.
Root now holds the top spot with 7594 Test runs to his credit on home soil. Ponting, who scored 7578 runs in the format in England, has slipped to the second spot. India's Sachin Tendulkar is in third position with 7216 runs in England.
Root is just 1713 runs away from overtaking Sachin Tendulkar in the list of batters with the most runs in Test cricket. While Sachin is at the top of the list with 15921 runs, Root currently has 14208 runs in 168 matches. While the debate continues over whether Root will be able to achieve the stunning record, his father gave a clear verdict recently.
"I don't think so. The last time he was captain... one of the years, he scored 1700 runs. He's proved that being captain doesn't tend to affect his batting. As long as he stays fit and focused and he's still got a desire to play, there's no reason he shouldn't get somewhere near Sachin's record," Matt Root said in a conversation with talkSPORT Breakfast.
The England cricket team returned to form with a dominant win by an innings and 103 runs over Pakistan at Headingley in three days. The win was also a successful comeback for Root in charge of England's Test side.
In the second game as well, the Three Lions are in a commanding position.