Joe Root surpasses Sangakkara to become sixth leading Test run-scorer

Root, ICC's No. 1 Test batter, surpassed Sangakkara with 11 runs in the second innings of the 3rd Test vs. Sri Lanka

Listen to article

England cricketer Joe Root added another milestone to his illustrious career on Sunday, September 8, as he overtook former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara to become the sixth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket.

Root, currently ranked No. 1 in the ICC Test batter's ranking, surpassed Sangakkara’s tally of 12,400 runs by reaching 11 runs in the second innings of the third Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval.

The 33-year-old Root now boasts 12,402 runs in 267 innings across 146 Tests, eclipsing Sangakkara’s record of 12,400 runs amassed in 134 matches during his 15-year Test career.

His next milestone could be overtaking England's all-time leading run-scorer in Test cricket, Alastair Cook, who has 12,472 runs to his name.

Most runs in Test cricket:

• Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 15,921
• Ricky Ponting (Australia) – 13,378
• Jacques Kallis (South Africa) – 13,289
• Rahul Dravid (India) – 13,288
• Alastair Cook (England) – 12,472
• Joe Root (England) – 12,402*
• Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) – 12,400

In addition to surpassing Sangakkara, the 33-year-old is on the verge of another achievement.

He needs just 27 more runs to become the first batter in history to score 5000 runs in World Test Championship matches.

Additionally, a century in the second innings of the ongoing Test would lift him into the top six of batters with the most Test centuries, alongside legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting.

Root recently broke Cook’s record of 33 Test centuries for England by scoring twin hundreds in the second Test at Lord’s, making his 34 Test centuries the most for an English batter.