Industry Odisha Bureau, Sep 13: Joe Root has broken Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most Test fifties. Root reached the milestone during England’s win over Pakistan. The victory sealed a 3-0 series sweep.
Root finished unbeaten on 62 from 39 balls at Edgbaston. His innings included nine fours during England’s run chase. It marked his 69th half-century in Test cricket. Root’s total now sits one ahead of Tendulkar’s 68. England completed an eight-wicket win over Pakistan on Saturday.
Joe Root Breaks Sachin Tendulkar Record
Root’s 69 Test fifties now top the reported list. Sachin Tendulkar previously held the record with 68. Shivnarine Chanderpaul follows with 66 Test fifties. Allan Border and Rahul Dravid have 63 each. Ricky Ponting has recorded 62 in his career. The record refers specifically to Test scores between 50 and 99.
Root Crosses 1,000 Test Runs at Edgbaston
Root also reached another landmark during the innings. He became the first batter past 1,000 Test runs at Edgbaston. That made it his fourth ground above the mark. He has scored 2,203 Test runs at Lord’s. His Manchester tally stands at 1,128 runs. The Oval has yielded 1,050 Test runs for Root. He is now only the third player with four such venues. Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting previously achieved that feat.England Chase 130 to Beat Pakistan
England needed just 130 runs in their second innings. They reached the target at 130 for two. Root remained unbeaten alongside Jordan Cox, who scored 59. The eight-wicket win completed England’s dominant display at Edgbaston.
Pakistan Fight Back After First-Innings Deficit
Pakistan had collapsed to 133 in their first innings. England responded with 453, building a 320-run lead. Harry Brook top-scored with 75 in that innings. Jamie Smith made 69, while Dan Lawrence added 65. Emilio Gay contributed 60 and Ollie Robinson scored 50. Pakistan fought back harder in their second innings, scoring 449. Shan Masood led the way with 95. Babar Azam made 76, and debutant Razaullah struck 81. Razaullah and Mohammad Abbas added 121 for the ninth wicket. Abbas himself contributed 42 to that stand.
England Complete 3-0 Sweep
The Edgbaston win completed England’s series sweep over Pakistan. England had already won at Headingley and at Lord’s. This victory closed out the series 3-0 overall.
Closing
Root’s Edgbaston innings delivered two separate records at once. He now leads the list for most Test fifties. He also holds 1,000-plus Test runs at four different grounds. Both milestones arrived as England completed a clean series sweep.
