Top 7 England batters with most hundreds in Test cricket ft. Joe Root
Former England batter Joe Root struck an excellent hundred on Day 4 of the second Test against West Indies at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Sunday, July 21. Having been dismissed for 14 in the first innings, he made up for it by scoring 122 off 178 balls in the second essay as England beat West Indies by 241 runs.
Root struck 10 fours in his 306-minute knock before being dismissed by Jason Holder. The former England captain featured in a big 189-run stand with Harry Brook (109 off 132) for the fourth wicket. Thanks to the excellent partnership between the two, England posted 425 in their second innings and set West Indies a target of 385. The visitors crumbled to 143 in response.
Root's hundred on Sunday was his 32nd in Test matches, drawing him level with Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Steve Waugh. The 33-year-old is also among the leading century-makers for England in Test cricket. Here's a look at the top seven batters who have struck most tons for England in Test matches.
#4 Wally Hammond, Colin Cowdrey, Geoffrey Boycott and Ian Bell (22 hundreds)
Four renowned batters jointly occupy the fourth position among England batters with most hundreds in Test cricket. Wally Hammond, Colin Cowdrey, Geoffrey Boycott and Ian Bell all ended their respective Test careers with 22 tons each.
Hammond represented England in 85 Test and scored 7249 runs at an average of 58.45. His best of 336* came against New Zealand in Auckland in March 1933. Apart from the triple ton, Hammond also registered six double hundreds - four against Australia and one each against India and New Zealand.
Cowdrey played 114 Tests and scored 7624 runs at an average of 44.06. His top score of 182 came against Pakistan at The Oval in August 1962. Speaking of Boycott, he turned out for England in 108 Tests and accumulated 8114 runs at an average of 47.72. His best of 246* came against India in Leeds in June 1967. Boycott hit 30 fours and a six in his 555-ball knock.
Bell finished his Test career with 7727 runs from 118 Tests at an average of 42.69. The elegant right-handed batter registered his career-best Test score of 235 against India at The Oval in August 2011. Bell was also dismissed for 199 against South Africa at Lord's in July 2008.
#3 Kevin Pietersen (23 hundreds)
Former skipper Kevin Pietersen is third on the list of England batters with most hundreds in Test cricket. The eccentric batter featured in 104 Tests for England and smashed 8181 runs at an average of 47.28, with 23 tons and 35 fifties. With better discipline and backing, he could have been England's all-time leading run-getter in Test cricket, or international cricket for that matter.
Pietersen's highest Test score of 227 came against Australia in Adelaide in December 2010. The 44-year-old scored two more double tons in his Test career. He hit 226 off 262 balls against West Indies in Leeds in May 2007 and 202* versus India in at Lord's in July 2011.
#2 Joe Root (32 hundreds)
Root occupies the second place on the famed list of England batters with most hundreds in Test cricket. The 33-year-old has so far featured in 142 Test matches and has amassed 11940 runs at an average of 49.95. Apart from 32 hundreds, he has also struck 62 half-centuries in Tests.
Root's highest Test score of 254 was registered against Pakistan in Manchester in July 2016. He also slammed 71* off 48 balls in the second innings. The former England captain has hit four more double tons. He scored 228 against Sri Lanka (Galle, Jan 2021) 226 against New Zealand (Hamilton, Dec 2019) 218 against India (Chennai, Feb 2021) and 200* against Sri Lanka (Lord's, June 2014).
#1 Alastair Cook
Another former captain, Alastair Cook currently tops the list of England batters with most hundreds in the Test format. He played 161 Tests in which he amassed 12472 runs at an average of 45.35, with 33 hundreds and 57 half-centuries. Root would equal Cook if he scores one more ton and go past him with two.
Cook's his highest Test score of 294 came against India in Birmingham in August 2011. The marathon effort came off 545 balls in which the former England skipper occupied the crease for 773 minutes, hitting 33 fours. The left-hander also struck 263 against Pakistan (Abu Dhabi, Oct 2015), 244* versus Australia (MCG, Dec 2017) and 243 against West Indies (Birmingham, Aug 2017).