This notable effort secured his 68th half-century in the longest format of the game. During the opening match of the series at Headingley on Thursday, August 20, English captain Joe Root joined Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar at the top of a prestigious international leaderboard. Stepping to the crease after the team slipped to 48 for 2 in response to Pakistan’s first-innings total of 171, the veteran right-hander compiled a polished knock of 66 runs from 112 deliveries.
A review confirmed all three reds on ball-tracking, bringing an influential innings to a close and placing the home side into a commanding position. His resistance eventually ended when Khurram Shahzad produced an incoming delivery that beat the inside edge as Root attempted a whip through midwicket, striking him directly on the knee roll. With the match continuing, Root stands on the cusp of further history, sitting just a short distance away from overtaking Ricky Ponting’s all-time benchmark for the most runs scored in home Test matches.
