Nottingham [UK], July 21 (ANI): England batter Joe Root overtook West Indies legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul to become the eighth-highest run-getter in Test cricket on Sunday.
Root accomplished this upward movement in the charts during the second Test against West Indies at Nottingham. In the second inning, Root scored 122 on 178 balls with 10 fours. His runs came at a strike rate of 68.53.
In 142 Tests, Root has scored 11,940 runs at an average of 49.95, with 32 centuries and 62 fifties. He is England’s second-highest run-getter after Alastair Cook (12,472 runs in 161 matches with 33 centuries). Root is also just one century short of equaling Cook’s record of most Test centuries for England.
Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar has highest number of Test centuries with 51.
Within the ‘Fab Four’ of modern cricket, consisting of Virat Kohli of India, New Zealand’s Kane Williamson and Australia’s Steve Smith, Root has equalled with Kane and Steve in terms of Test centuries, with 32. Virat is at the bottom of the list with 29 Test tons.
Coming to overall international tons among active players, Root has now equalled Indian opener Rohit Sharma (48) for second-highest number of centuries. Virat, with 80 centuries, has the highest number of tons by an active cricketer.
Root has joined Cook, Andrew Strauss, Alan Lamb and Colin Cowdrey to have most Test centuries for England against West Indies, with six tons.
Root has also levelled with England batters Michael Atherton and Denis Compton to have most Test hundreds at Trent Bridge Stadium in Nottingham, with five each.
In the second Test, the West Indies won the toss and opted to bowl first.
England delivered a fine batting performance, powered by Ollie Pope’s sixth Test ton (121 in 167 balls, with 15 fours and a six) and fine half-centuries from Ben Duckett (71 in 59 balls, with 14 fours) and skipper Ben Stokes (69 in 104 balls, with eight fours). England made 416/10 in 88.3 overs.
Alzarri Joseph (3/98) was the pick of the bowlers for WI. Jayden Seales, Kavem Hodge, Kevin Sinclair took two wickets, while Shamar Joseph got one wicket.
In their first inning, WI was struggling at 84/3, staring at yet another potential big loss.
However, Alick Athanaze (82 in 99 balls, with 10 fours and a six) and Kavem Hodge (120 in 171 balls, with 19 fours) pulled out a brilliant counter-attacking partnership of 175 runs. Later on, wicketkeeper-batter Joshua da Silva (82* in 122 balls, with 10 fours and three sixes) pulled off an impressive 71-run partnership for the tenth wicket along with Shamar Joseph (33 in 27 balls, with five fours and two sixes), which helped WI breach England’s first innings score and take a 41-run lead. WI was bundled out for 457 runs in 111.5 overs.
Chris Woakes (4/84) was the top wicket-taker for England. Young pacer Gus Atkinson and spinner Shoaib Bashir also took two wickets each, while skipper Ben Stokes and Mark Wood got one.
In their second inning, England responded to West Indies’ fightback with vigour and loads of runs. While Ben Duckett (76 in 92 balls, with 11 fours) and Ollie Pope (51 in 67 balls, with six fours) scored fifties, Root (122) and Harry Brook (109 in 132 balls, with 13 fours) scored big centuries to take England to 425/10 in 92.2 overs, setting the West Indies a target of 385 runs to win.
Seales (4/97) was the leading wicket-taker for West Indies in the second innings, with Alzarri also getting two scalps. Shamar, Sinclair and Holder got a wicket each. (ANI)
