Joe Root becomes first England player with 900 WC runs
Joe Root has scripted history by becoming the first England batter to accomplish 900 runs in ICC Cricket World Cups. He accomplished the milestone with a fiery half-century against Bangladesh in Match 7 of the ongoing 2023 edition in Dharamsala. Root entered the game, requiring 65 runs to get to the mark. He ended up scoring a 68-ball 82 (8 fours, 1 six).
A fiery knock from Root
Batting first in Dharamsala, England were off to a flying start as openers Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan added 115 runs. Hence, the platform was set when Root arrived at number three. He batted aggressively and pushed Bangladesh on the back foot even further. Root added 141 runs with Malan before the latter departed. He eventually fell prey to Shoriful Islam.
England's leading run-getter in ODI WCs
Root is standing in his 3rd ODI WC edition, having previously featured in the 2015 and 2019 events. He has now completed 917 runs in just 19 games at a sensational average of 57.31. This was his fifth fifty at the event as the tally also includes three tons. During his knock, he also displaced Graham Gooch (897) as England's highest run-getter in WCs.
38th ODI fifty for Root
Root slammed his 38th half-century in ODI cricket and a second one in successive games. He smashed 77 off 86 balls in England's tournament opener against New Zealand. England's second-highest run-getter in ODIs, Root has now raced to 6,405 runs in 164 games at 49.26. His tally of 16 tons is the most for an England batter.
Third-highest WC score for England
England posted 364/9 in their 50 overs, their third-highest score in ODI WCs. Their top-two scores came in the preceding edition in 2019. While they posted 397/6 versus Afghanistan in Manchester, they mustered 386/6 against Bangladesh in Cardiff. Notably, a few days ago, South Africa posted the all-time highest team total in ODI WCs, 428/5 versus Sri Lanka in Delhi.
