England skipper Joe Root surpassed legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most fifties in Test cricket during England’s eight-wicket win over Pakistan in the third and final Test at Edgbaston on Saturday. Root remained unbeaten on 62 off 39 balls, hitting nine fours, as England chased down the target of 130 to complete a 3-0 series whitewash over Pakistan. With his unbeaten half-century, Root took his Test fifties tally to 69, moving past Tendulkar’s 68. Shivnarine Chanderpaul follows with 66 fifties, while Allan Border and Rahul Dravid have 63 each and Ricky Ponting 62.
Root also became the first batter to score more than 1,000 Test runs at Edgbaston. The venue is now the fourth where he has crossed the 1,000-run mark, after Lord’s, Manchester and The Oval. Root has scored 2,203 Test runs at Lord’s, 1,128 at Manchester and 1,050 at The Oval, besides becoming the latest member of an elite group to achieve the 1,000-plus run milestone at four different venues. He is only the third player after former South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis and Australian great Ricky Ponting to score more than 1,000 Test runs at four different venues. Coming to the match, England thrashed Pakistan at Edgbaston to complete a 3-0 series whitewash. Chasing 130, England reached 130/2, with Joe Root unbeaten on 62 and Jordan Cox on 59.
Pakistan’s Strong Second Innings Recovery
After a disappointing first innings where they were bowled out for just 133, Pakistan made a strong comeback in the second innings, scoring 449 runs. Shan Masood led the charge with a solid 95 runs, while Babar Azam contributed 76 runs. Debutant Razaullah also impressed with 81 runs, and he partnered with Mohammad Abbas, who scored 42, to add a crucial 121 runs for the ninth wicket.
