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Joe Root: The numbers boggle the mind

Joe Root scored a composed 98 to rescue England from the brink after New Zealand had reduced them to 30 for four on Day One of the first Test at Lord’s. His partnerships first with Ben Stokes and then Jos Buttler helped England end the day at a respectable 354 for seven. Shiamak Unwalla feels that England are in safe hands as long as Root is around.

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Joe Root (File photo)
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Joe Root scored a composed 98 to rescue England from the brink after New Zealand had reduced them to 30 for four on Day One of the first Test at Lord’s. His partnerships first with Ben Stokes and then Jos Buttler helped England end the day at a respectable 354 for seven. Shiamak Unwalla feels that England are in safe hands as long as Root is around.

 

There is very little doubt over the fact that Joe Root is one of the most talented batsmen in world cricket at the moment. The effortlessness with which he scores his runs, his natural flow, and his perpetually pleasant disposition make him an instantly attractive batsman.

The first Test between England and New Zealand is the 26th match for Root. Since making his debut against India in December 2012, Root has grown as a cricketer by leaps and bounds. He currently bats at No. 4; a position usually reserved for the most dependable batsman in the side. And Root is most certainly the most dependable batsman of the current English team.

Below is a table showing the leading run-scorers since Joe Root made his Test debut in December, 2012. The table does not include stats of ongoing England vs New Zealand first Test at Lord’s:

Name Team M I R HS Ave 100s 50s
David Warner Australia 24 47 2337 145 50.8 9 12
Kumar Sangakkara Sri Lanka 17 33 2310 319 74.51 8 12
Joe Root England 25 45 2090 200* 55 6 9
Steven Smith Australia 21 40 2045 192 58.42 8 8
Kane Williamson New Zealand 21 38 1987 242* 58.44 6 10
       
         

As seen above, since making his debut, Root is the third highest run-scorer in world cricket. However, it should be noted that the above table all batsmen who have played in the time limit, which means the other four players in the list were already active in Test cricket.

To put that into context, let us take a look at how some of the leading run-scorers in world cricket have fared after their first 25 Tests. Below is a table showing statistics for the top six run-scorers in Tests after their first 25 Tests along with Root’s in the same number of Tests:

 

Name M I R HS Ave 100s 50s
Brian Lara 25 42 2283 375 55.68 4 13
Rahul Dravid 25 41 2126 190 57.45 4 15
Joe Root 25 45 2090 200* 55 6 9
Kumar Sangakkara 25 40 1750 230 47.29 4 8
Ricky Ponting 25 41 1524 127 40.1 3 9
Sachin Tendulkar 25 37 1522 165 44.76 5 8
Jacques Kallis 25 41 1334 132 36.05 3 7

Root has scored more runs than legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, and Kumar Sangakkara had done in their first 25 games. He averages more than Tendulkar, Ponting, Kallis, and Sangakkara as well. He has also scored more centuries than any of these legends.

If Root continues to progress the way he has done so far, he could well go down in history as England’s leading run-scorer in Tests. The way he has started his career, he might even ellipse the records of some of the most exalted batsmen in world cricket.

(Shiamak Unwalla is a proud Whovian and all-round geek who also dabbles in cricket writing as a reporter with CricketCountry. His Twitter handle is @ShiamakUnwalla)

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