Joe Root overtakes Kumar Sangakkara to become 6th all-time leading run-scorer in Test cricket
England cricketer Joe Root surpassed former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara’s tally to become the sixth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket history on Sunday, September 8. The 33-year-old achieved this milestone on Day 3 of the ongoing Test match between England and Sri Lanka at The Oval in London.
Root reached this landmark on the first ball of the 15th over of England’s second innings, smashing a boundary through the cover region and surpassing Sangakkara’s total of 12,400 runs on the all-time run-scorers list.
The right-handed batter sits sixth on the list with 12,402 runs in 146 matches. He needs 71 more runs to move past Sir Alastair Cook and claim the fifth spot.
The Yorkshire cricketer has been in outstanding form, surpassing Alastair Cook’s record for the most Test centuries by an England player during the second Test against Sri Lanka.
Root scored 143 runs in the first innings at Lord's, equalling Cook’s tally of 33 centuries. He added another hundred in the second innings, with 103 runs off 121 balls, setting a new record for the most hundreds by an England player in Test cricket.
Joe Root departs for 12 as Sri Lanka on top in 3rd Test against England
Sri Lanka ended Day 2 at 211-5, with Dhananjaya de Silva (64) and Kamindu Mendis (54) at the crease. However, they had a disappointing start on Day 3, collapsing from 220/5 to 263/10 as England took a 62-run lead in the first innings.
England’s second innings also got off to a rough start, losing Ben Duckett for seven in the third over. Soon after, captain and first-innings centurion Ollie Pope was dismissed by Lahiru Kumara for seven. Daniel Lawrence added a brisk 35 before becoming Kumara’s second victim.
Joe Root, England’s senior batter, was out for 12, dismissed by Vishwa Fernando, who then struck again to remove Harry Brook, leaving England struggling at 69/5 after 16.3 overs. Lahiru Kumara claimed his third wicket of the innings by dismissing Chris Woakes for a duck. Then, Milan Rathnayake got rid of Gus Atkinson.
At the time of writing, England were 82/7 after 25 overs, with Jamie Smith and Olly Stone at the crease.