Joe Root Equals Test Century Record With Steve Smith And Kane Williamson

Joe Root achieved his 32nd Test century on Day 4 of the second Test against England at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on Sunday, July 21. This milestone places him alongside Australia's Steve Smith and New Zealand's Kane Williamson, with all three now holding the joint eighth-highest number of T20I centuries.

Root reached his century with a precise cover drive in the 84th over bowled by Alzarri Joseph. The former world number one Test batter amassed a total of 122 runs from 178 balls during this innings.

The solid performance from Root, currently ranked second in Test cricket, enabled England to score over 400 runs in both innings of a Test match for the first time in their history. This remarkable achievement set a challenging target of 385 runs for West Indies.

England concluded their second innings at 425 runs. Securing a win in this second Test would give England an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

The 33-year-old is now just one century short of matching Alastair Cook's record for the most Test hundreds by an England batter. Among the 'Fab 4'—Root, Smith, Williamson, and India's Virat Kohli—Kohli has the fewest centuries with 29.

This innings also saw Root become the eighth highest run-scorer in Test cricket history. He surpassed Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene (11,814) and West Indies' Shivnarine Chanderpaul (11,867) in total runs scored.

Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) July 21, 2024

Historic Achievements at Trent Bridge

This was also Root's fifth Test century at Trent Bridge, tying him with Mike Atherton and Denis Compton for the most hundreds at this venue. Additionally, he equalled Cook, Andrew Strauss, Alan Lamb, and Colin Cowdrey's record for most Test centuries by an England player against West Indies, with each having six tons.

Root's impressive knock not only highlighted his individual brilliance but also significantly contributed to England's commanding position in the series.