Birmingham: England captain Joe Root added another remarkable chapter to his Test career on Saturday, surpassing Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar ‘s record for the most half-centuries in Test cricket during England’s eight-wicket victory over Pakistan at Edgbaston.
Root remained unbeaten on 62 off 39 balls, striking nine fours, as England successfully chased a target of 130 to complete a 3-0 Test series whitewash against Pakistan. His half-century took his career tally to 69 Test fifties, moving him past Tendulkar’s previous record of 68.
Root moves past Tendulkar
Root’s latest milestone came during a rapid fourth-innings chase. England had lost Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay early, but Root steadied the innings alongside Jordan Cox.
The England captain eventually finished unbeaten on 62, while Cox contributed an unbeaten 59 as England reached 130/2 and secured an eight-wicket win.
Root’s 69 half-centuries now put him at the top of the all-time Test list for fifties.
Tendulkar had scored 68 half-centuries during his illustrious Test career. Former West Indies batter Shivnarine Chanderpaul is third on the list with 66, while Allan Border and Rahul Dravid have 63 each. Ricky Ponting follows with 62.
Another major record at Edgbaston
Root’s achievement did not stop with surpassing Tendulkar.
During the same Test, the England batter became the first player to score more than 1,000 Test runs at Edgbaston.
He now has more than 1,000 Test runs at four different venues: Lord’s, Manchester, The Oval and Edgbaston.
Root has scored 2,203 runs at Lord’s, 1,128 at Manchester, 1,050 at The Oval and has now crossed the 1,000-run mark at Edgbaston.
He is only the third batter in Test history, after South African great Jacques Kallis and Australia’s Ricky Ponting, to score more than 1,000 Test runs at four different venues.
England complete 3-0 whitewash
Root’s record-breaking innings came on a day when England completed a dominant series victory over Pakistan.
England had earlier taken a commanding 320-run first-innings lead after dismissing Pakistan for 133 and then scoring 453.
Pakistan fought back strongly in their second innings, posting 449. Shan Masood top-scored with 95, while Babar Azam made 76 and debutant Razaullah impressed with an attacking 81.
Razaullah and Mohammad Abbas also produced a late counterattack, adding 121 runs for the ninth wicket.
However, Pakistan’s resistance only delayed England’s inevitable victory.
Chasing 130, England were briefly under pressure after losing two wickets early. Root and Cox then took control of the chase, scoring freely to take England home without further damage.
The victory gave England a 3-0 series sweep, following their wins at Headingley and Lord’s.
Root continues to rewrite Test history
The latest record further strengthens Root’s position among Test cricket’s greatest batters.
His achievement is particularly significant because Tendulkar’s 68 half-centuries had stood as the benchmark for consistency across a career spanning 200 Tests.
Root has now moved ahead of the Indian legend in this particular statistical category while continuing his pursuit of Tendulkar’s much bigger Test batting record – the most career runs in the format.
Root’s tally has already crossed 14,000 Test runs, while Tendulkar remains the leading run-scorer in Test history with 15,921 runs. Root’s pursuit of that record remains one of the biggest statistical storylines in modern Test cricket.
A memorable return to captaincy
The Edgbaston victory was also significant for Root personally as he returned to the England captaincy following Ben Stokes’ retirement from Test cricket.
Root’s leadership has coincided with a comprehensive series victory over Pakistan, although England’s next challenges will be considerably tougher.
The former England captain’s latest batting milestone also comes at a time when questions continue to be asked about how close he can get to Tendulkar’s overall Test-run record.
For now, Root has already taken one of Tendulkar’s major Test records.
With 69 half-centuries, a growing run tally and another major venue record added to his collection, Root continues to strengthen his claim as one of England’s greatest-ever Test batters.