Joe Root has added yet another feather in his cap as he made cricketing history by becoming the first English batter and only the fourth globally, to achieve 100 scores of fifty or more in Test cricket. Root maintained his impressive form in Test cricket with an unbeaten fifty in the ongoing New Zealand vs England 2nd Test. Root scored an unbeaten 73 in the second innings, helping England reach 378/5 at stumps on Day 2 and secure a commanding lead of 533 runs.
Root’s half-century in the NZ vs ENG Test marked a remarkable milestone for the Englishman in Test cricket. Root became only the fourth player to achieve 100 scores of fifty or more in Tests. With 35 centuries and 65 fifties to his name, Root now trails only Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting. Tendulkar leads the list with 119 fifty-plus scores, including 51 centuries, while Kallis and Ponting each recorded 103. Dravid, meanwhile, finished his career with 99 fifty-plus scores.
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Batters With Most Fifty-Plus Scores In Test Cricket
| Player | Matches | Runs | 100s | 50s | 50+ scores |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 200 | 15,921 | 51 | 68 | 119 |
| Jacques Kallis | 166 | 13,289 | 45 | 58 | 103 |
| Ricky Ponting | 168 | 13,378 | 41 | 62 | 103 |
| Joe Root | 151 | 12,853 | 35 | 65 | 100 |
| Rahul Dravid | 164 | 13,288 | 36 | 63 | 99 |
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Alongside his historic 100th fifty-plus score, Root is closing in on another remarkable milestone. With 1,417 Test runs in 2024, he requires just 83 more to become only the second player in history to score 1,500 Test runs in multiple calendar years—a feat achieved only by Ricky Ponting in 2003 and 2005. Root previously surpassed the 1,500-run mark in 2021.
Root also has his sights set on Sachin Tendulkar's record for the most runs in Test cricket history. Tendulkar retired with 15,921 runs in 200 matches, while Root has already amassed 12,853 runs in 151 Tests. Root now stands just 3,068 runs away from breaking Tendulkar’s all-time record.