In a series of interesting events, star England batter Joe Root added another big milestone to his illustrious Test career on Thursday, August 20, as he drew level with India batting icon Sachin Tendulkar for the most half-centuries in the history of the format. The England skipper achieved the feat during the second innings of the first Test against Pakistan at Headingley, scoring a calm 66 off 112 balls. The knock took Root's tally of Test fifties to 68, putting him alongside Tendulkar at the top of the all-time list.
Big feat for Joe Root
Root walked out to bat with England in a tough position at 48/2 after Pakistan had posted 171 in their first innings. The England skipper then joined forces with Jordan Cox to steady the hosts, with the pair stitching a crucial 150 runs off 204 deliveries and helping the Three Lions move past Pakistan's total.
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Root looked in good touch and control during his stay at the crease, finding gaps with ease, hitting 10 boundaries. He made the most of anything loose, playing crisp drives and well-timed cuts against Mohammad Ali and Khurram Shahzad.
Khurram Shahzad eventually dismissed Root by trapping him LBW. The England skipper tried to work an inward-moving ball towards the region but failed to make contact as the ball struck him on knee roll. A review followed, but ball-tricking returned three reds, confirming Root's dismissal and ending an important innings that had helped England take control of the game.
Here's the list of batters with most fifties in Test cricket:
| Player | Country | Span | Mat | Inns | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s |
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 1989-2013 | 200 | 329 | 15,921 | 53.78 | 51 | 68 |
| Joe Root | England | 2012-2026 | 167* | 305 | 14,180 | 50.64 | 41 | 68 |
| Jacques Kallis | South Africa | 1995-2013 | 166 | 280 | 13,289 | 55.37 | 45 | 58 |
| Ricky Ponting | Australia | 1995-2012 | 168 | 287 | 13,378 | 51.85 | 41 | 62 |
| Rahul Dravid | India | 1996-2012 | 164 | 286 | 13,288 | 52.31 | 36 | 63 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul | West Indies | 1994-2015 | 164 | 280 | 11,867 | 51.37 | 30 | 66 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 2000-2015 | 134 | 233 | 12,400 | 57.40 | 38 | 52 |
| Allan Border | Australia | 1978-1994 | 156 | 265 | 11,174 | 50.56 | 27 | 63 |
| Alastair Cook | England | 2006-2018 | 161 | 291 | 12,472 | 45.35 | 33 | 57 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | 1997-2014 | 149 | 252 | 11,814 | 49.84 | 34 | 50 |
Root took 33 fewer Tests to level Tendulkar's feat, highlighting how frequently he registered half-centuries during the initial phase of his career. With time, the star English batter made some changes which helped improve his ability to turn promising starts into hundreds.