Chester-le-Street [UK], September 22 (ANI): England veteran batter Joe Root etched his name in the record books on Tuesday, becoming only the eighth batter in international cricket history to cross the 23,000-run mark across formats.
Root reached the landmark during England’s first ODI against Sri Lanka at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street. He achieved the feat in his 394th international appearance, joining an elite group of batters who have amassed more than 23,000 runs in international cricket.
The 35-year-old needed just three runs to reach the milestone. Root was eventually dismissed for 44 off 52 deliveries, including five fours, has established himself as England’s leading run-scorer in both Test and ODI cricket.
Root became the first English batter to reach 23,000 international runs. India’s Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, Australia’s Ricky Ponting, South Africa’s Jacques Kallis and India’s Rahul Dravid are the other batters to have crossed the mark.
He currently has 14,278 Test runs and had 7,826 ODI runs before the ongoing series, while his ODI tally includes 20 centuries.
The next England batter on the list is former opener Alastair Cook, who amassed 15,737 runs across 257 international matches during his career. Cook scored the bulk of his runs in Test cricket, finishing with 12,472 runs in the longest format.
Root has been one of England’s finest cricketers and a key figure across formats for the Three Lions. England have already secured the T20I series against Sri Lanka, completing a 3-0 clean sweep in the three-match contest.
They will now turn their attention to the ODI series, with Harry Brook leading the side as they look to claim another series victory over the Lankan Lions. (ANI)
Joe Root joins Tendulkar, Kohli, Ponting in elite 23,000 international runs club
