Joe Root equals Ricky Ponting's unique Test record: Details
Former England Test captain Joe Root has reached a major milestone in the longest format. During the third Test against New Zealand in Hamilton, he recorded scores worth 32 and 54 albeit in a losing cause. He became only the second player after Ricky Ponting to score more than 1,500 Test runs in more than one calendar year. Root also became the highest run-getter vs NZ in Test cricket.
Root's journey to the milestone
Notably, Root needed just 30 runs before the start of the Hamilton Test to cross the 1,500-run mark for this year. He accomplished the same during the second session of day two. The batter later scored 54 in England's failed attempt to chase down a mammoth 658. Earlier in 2021, he had scored 1,708 runs from 15 Tests. He finished 2024 with 1,556 runs across 17 Tests at 55.57, as per ESPNcricinfo.
Six Test tons in 2024
Earlier in the series, Root matched his own national record by scoring his sixth Test century of the year. He slammed as many tons in 2021 as well. This puts him alongside Denis Compton (1947) and Jonny Bairstow (2022) as the only England players to have done so. However, Root is the only English player to have done this twice and one of just three players globally to do so.
Ponting's record and other high scorers
Australian superstar Ponting, the country's leading run-scorer across formats, was the to first accomplish this feat. He scored 1,503 runs in 2003 and 1,544 runs in 2005 from mere 11 matches each year. Apart from Root and Ponting, only five other batters have ever scored more than 1,500 Test runs in a calendar year: Mohammad Yousuf, Viv Richards, Graeme Smith, Michael Clarke, and Sachin Tendulkar.
Highest run-scorer vs NZ (Tests)
The Hamilton game also saw Root become the highest run-getter in Tests against the Kiwis. He has raced to 1,925 runs across 21 Tests against the opposition at 53.47. The tally includes six tons and nine half-centuries. Root went past Pakistan legend Javed Miandad (1,919) to get this milestone. No other batter has even 1,700 runs in this regard as Root is also the highest run-scorer in England vs New Zealand Tests.
Most runs in NZ among visiting batters
Root also became the first visiting batter to complete 1,000 Test runs in New Zealand. He has raced to 1,006 Test runs from 12 Tests in the nation at 50.30. This includes three tons and five fifties. Miandad (928) and India's Sachin Tendulkar (842) are the only other visiting batters with 800-plus Test runs in the country. The veteran batter has overall raced to 12,972 runs at 50.87. He owns 36 centuries and 65 half-centuries in England whites.
How did the game pan out?
NZ managed 347/10 while batting first thanks to half-centuries from Tom Latham and Mitchell Santner. England struggled in their first innings and were bowled out for just 143 runs. Matt Henry took four wickets. Despite their mammoth 204-run lead, New Zealand chose not to enforce the follow-on in their second innings. Kane Williamson's 156 meant the hosts finished at 453/10 in their second outing. As mentioned, the Brits could only manage 234/10 while chasing 658.
