Former England captain Joe Root completed 11,000 runs in Test cricket. Root became the second England batter after Alastair Cook to achieve the feat. Root achieved the milestone on Day 2 of the one-off Test against Ireland at the iconic Lord’s, London.
Before the Ireland Test, Root needed 52 runs to complete 11,000 runs. While Root is faster than Cook to achieve the feat, he is the fourth slowest among 11 batters with 11,000 Test runs or more. He took 238 innings, one more than Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene to breach the 11,000-run mark.
Root is also the only batter with 50-plus average on the list of England's top 10 run-scorers in Test cricket.
Earlier, on Day 1, Stuart Broad’s fifer helped England restrict Ireland to 171 in the first innings. Opener James McCollom top-scored for the visitors with a 36-run knock.
In reply, England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett shared a 109-run partnership. Fionn Hand broke the partnership in the last session of Day 1. Crawley scored 56 runs from 45 balls including 11 fours. Duckett and Ollie Pope shared a 252-run partnership for the second wicket. Duckett scored his second Test century. The southpaw scored 182 runs from 178 balls including 24 fours and a six.
Pope's massive record
Root got bowled after scoring 56 runs from 59 balls. His 56-run knock included fours and one six. He got bowled by Andy McBrine. Ollie Pope got to his maiden Test double century with a six off McBrine. He reached the milestone from 207 balls. It is the fastest double ton on England soil. Pope and Root shared a 146-run partnership for the third wicket. After Pope got stumped off McBrine's bowling, Ben Stokes declared England's first innings for 524/4 with a massive 352-run lead.
Outstanding WTC record
Continuing to bat with 'Bazball' approach, Pope scored his maiden Test double century. The 32-year-old has been in stupendous form in the longest format of the game. He is the top-scorer in World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 cycle. He scored 1,915 runs from 40 innings at an average of 53.19 including eight centuries and six half-centuries.
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