Joe Root has cemented his legacy in international cricket by carving out a remarkable new chapter during the opening match of England’s three match Test series against Pakistan at Headingley in Leeds. On Day 2 of the contest, the veteran right handed batter achieved a world first that places him at the very pinnacle of the World Test Championship.
A Historic Milestone in the World Test Championship The 35-year-old Yorkshire star entered the fixture requiring just 42 runs to reach a monumental career threshold. Having resumed his duties at the crease following Ben Stokes’s retirement from international competition in June 2026, Root finished the opening day unbeaten on 37 runs. He secured the remaining five runs needed during the post lunch session on the second day, successfully attaining 3,000 runs in the World Test Championship as captain. The leading run scorers in the World Test Championship as captain feature the following statistics: Joe Root (England): 34 matches, 63 innings, 3,000 runs, 228 best score, 50.13 average, 8 hundreds, 13 fifties Ben Stokes (England): 40 matches, 71 innings, 2,182 runs, 155 best score, 32.56 average, 3 hundreds, 11 fifties Dimuth Karunaratne (Sri Lanka): 24 matches, 45 innings, 2,160 runs, 244 best score, 49.09 average, 6 hundreds, 12 fifties Kraigg Brathwaite (West Indies): 32 matches, 64 innings, 1,994 runs, 160 best score, 32.68 average, 3 hundreds, 12 fifties Chasing Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar Records With this latest achievement secured, attention quickly shifts to additional milestones waiting within the ongoing Leeds fixture. Root currently sits on 7,542 runs in home Tests, leaving him just 79 runs shy of Ricky Ponting’s legendary global benchmark of 7,578 runs compiled across 92 home Tests for Australia. To surpass Ponting and claim the top position on the all time list for home Test runs, he needs 37 more runs in the current game.
