Joe Root on Sunday smashed a magnificent hundred against New Zealand in the ongoing 2nd Test at Trent Bridge Nottingham. The former England captain brought the triple figures off just 115 deliveries, making it his fastest ever in the longest format of the game.
This was Root’s 27th Test ton with which he equalled the record of former India skipper Virat Kohli and ex-Australia captain Steve Smith in terms of most Test hundreds among active cricketers. Interestingly, Kohli hasn’t got a hundred since 2019 and Smith hasn’t reached three figures since January 2021. However, Root has got 10 tons in the last one and a half years; all of them in the World Test Championship.
The 31-year-old former England captain became the first player to score more than 3,000 runs in World Test Championship history. According to the International Cricket Council, he now has nearly 1,000 more WTC runs than his closest challenger in Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne, 2180 runs.
The reigning ICC Test Player of the Year has also jumped into second place on the Test batter rankings, with Labuschagne the only player ranked in front of him. It has led to Root receiving praise from fellow teammates, with fellow centurion Pope describing the former skipper as the best English player of all time.
“We’re seeing England’s greatest ever,” Pope told BBC Sport. “Watching him do what he’s doing at the moment, it’s amazing. A joy to be a part of.”
Former England captain Michael Vaughan agreed with Pope. “We’re witnessing something special. I’ve known Joe for years and I really do believe he’s England’s greatest player,” Vaughan said. “He’s such a joy to watch and he makes batting look so easy.
“It’s just that drive and determination. You’ve got to have an incredible appetite to just keep on scoring centuries,” he added.
Thanks to Root’s unbeaten 163, his second consecutive ton in the ongoing series, and Ollie Pope’s 145, England gave a befitting reply to New Zealand’s first-innings total of 553, reaching 473/5 at stumps on Day 3 on Sunday. The hosts, who won the opening Test at Lord’s, are only 80 runs adrift of the visitors’ first innings total.
(With Agency Inputs)
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