Where does England's Joe Root rank among Fab Four (Tests)?
Top-order batter Joe Root powered England to a five-wicket win over New Zealand with a scintillating knock. Root slammed his 26th Test century and raced to 10,000 runs in the format. He is the highest run-scorer among active players in Test cricket. The other members of the 'Fab Four', Virat Kohli, Steven Smith, and Kane Williamson, trail Root in terms of Test runs.
Why does this story matter?
Root has been England' best performer in Test cricket for a while. He is still England's most successful Test skipper. Root's numbers of late has been a cut above the rest as he continues to make his presence felt in the longest format. He is the first batter to complete 1,300 runs in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship cycle.
Root leads the way!
Root is the 14th cricketer to complete 10,000 runs in Tests (10,015). However, he is the only active player to have reached this landmark. Former Indian captain Virat Kohli follows Root on the runs tally (active cricketers). Kohli owns 8,043 Test runs at 49.95. Australia's Steven Smith is just behind Kohli with 8,010 runs. Besides, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson with 7,289 Test runs.
Highest run-scorer since January 2021
Root has been on a roll since the start of 2021.
He slammed 2,192 runs at an incredible average of 56.20 in this period.
The tally includes nine centuries, four half-centuries, and two double-hundreds.
As far as the Fab four is concerned, Smith has scored 773 runs since January 2021 (one century).
Kohli and Williamson racked up 725 and 412 runs, respectively.
Most Tests in career
In February 2021, Root became the 15th England cricketer to feature in 100 Tests. At 30 years and 37 days, Root became the third-youngest to play his milestone Test (118). Meanwhile, Kohli is the only other member of the Fab Four to feature in over 100 Tests (101). Williamson and Smith have been a part of 87 and 85 Tests, respectively.
Most Test runs since Root's Test debut
Root has smashed the most number of runs since his Test debut (December 13, 2012). Smith follows Root with 7,751 runs at 62.00. Kohli is just behind the Australian (7255 runs at 52.19). Williamson hammered 6,242 runs in this period (at 58.88).
Only player with 5,000 runs in winning cause (Fab Four)
Root is the only player among the Fab Four to have scored over 5,000 Test runs in winning cause. He averages an incredible 65.40 from 48 wins (18 tons). Smith has slammed 4,687 runs in 45 wins at an astronomical average of 73.23 (18 centuries). Kohli owns 4,287 runs in 53 wins at 54.26, while Williamson has 4094 runs in 37 wins at 78.73.
