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Opinion
Across his 99 Test matches for England, Joe Root has achieved a plethora of different accomplishments.
Most of all; becoming a true pantheon of English cricket across all formats.
However, at just 30, the English Test skipper faces a milestone that is distant, yet oh so near.
From his 99 matches, Root has accumulated 8249 runs and is currently placed fourth in his nation’s all-time Test run-scorer rankings.
With four Tests against India in India; two against New Zealand and five against India – both of which on home soil – then an Ashes series in Australia to round out the calendar year, Root is destined to leap to second, ahead of the great Graham Gooch at 8900 in 2021 alone.
Leaving only one man in his sights.
The greatest English cricketer of all-time and arguably the best opening batsman of the modern era sits atop a prestigious list – for now.
Sir Alastair Cook nudged his way into English hearts for his famous century on debut in Asia, ability to see off the new ball, his textbook technique and his appetite to make huge scores – all with a beaming smile draped across his face.
Across his illustrious career, he worked away 12,427 runs, with 57 half-centuries and 33 triple-figure scores in his 161 Test matches.
Cook was strong in all conditions and is well-deserving of his gap of almost 4000 Test runs to second, however, his days as the leading-scorer may be limited.
Often criticised for his inability to convert after making getting to the half-ton look so elementary, Root still averages an impressive 49.39, the most of anyone in the English top ten all-time run scorers.
Joe Root (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
With 99 matches under his belt so far, if he is to continue the current form of runs per Test and play the same amount of Tests as Cook, he will accumulate over 13,000 runs.
With two monster centuries in his first two Test matches of 2021, Root heads to India in similar conditions where he has started the calendar year so well.
Then heading home for a mammoth summer on home soil; it is perfect time for the top order bat to be in form.
Considering he will stride to the crease this year a further 22 times, at the least – calculating for wash outs at home and the common innings victory – multiplied by his average of a touch under 50, if form would continue, that would result in Root making big inroads into the 9000s before turning 31.
As one would assume, if Root makes his way to the magical age of 36/37, where most of the greats play until, it leaves the right-hander plenty of time to minimise the gap between he and the title of England’s all-time Test run scorer.
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