England‘s Joe Root has etched his name in the history books with a series of remarkable milestones during the 2nd Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s. Root made history at the iconic venue by scoring his second consecutive century in the match on Day 3, becoming the highest run-scorer at Lord’s in Test cricket. In surpassing the legendary Graham Gooch, who had amassed 2015 runs at the ground, Root needed just 97 runs to claim this prestigious record.
Joe Root’s 34th Test century: Nervous moments and final triumph
By lunch on day three, England was 159 for four, with a lead of 390 and Root on 48. After the interval, Root accelerated but faced a brief scare when he missed a shot on 79, followed by a risky chip that fell safely. As Gus Atkinson fell to a switch-hit hook shot, leaving England seven down, Root was left chasing the record with the team slipping to 227 for eight. Root, stranded on 98, carefully managed his innings, ultimately breaking the record with a cover drive. He celebrated with a fist pump, a fitting end to a record-breaking performance, despite a near miss on the next ball.
Joining an elite club and breaking multiple records
Root also became only the third cricketer ever to score centuries in both innings of a Test match at Lord’s. After his 143 in the first innings, Root added another century to his tally, joining an exclusive club that includes George Headley, Gooch and Michael Vaughan as the only players to achieve twin tons in a single Test at Lord’s.
This century was Root’s 34th in Test cricket, making him England’s most prolific century-maker in the format, surpassing Alastair Cook, who had 33 Test centuries. Additionally, Root broke Cook’s record for the most runs scored by an England player against Sri Lanka in Tests. Cook had scored 1290 runs in 16 matches, while Root now has nearly 1350 runs in just 12 games.
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Leading England to dominance
In the first innings, Root rescued England from a precarious 216 for six with his 143, supported by Atkinson’s maiden Test century, putting England in a dominant position. In the second innings, with less pressure from the match situation, Root focused on surpassing Cook’s record. Although England were already ahead, Root faced the challenge of reaching his milestone before the impending declaration, as wickets began to tumble at the other end.
Here’s how Fans reacted:
BREAKING: Joe Root becomes the greatest ever England Test match centurion. And he does it in front of a packed house at Lord’s @HomeOfCricket .
What a brilliant, BRILLIANT, batsman. Congrats @root66 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/M16KJ1aVX4
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) August 31, 2024
Joe Root is a phenomenal player. He stroked just 10 fours in this record breaking 2nd innings 💯, meaning the other 63 runs were about finding gaps and running the runs. Not just England, but one of the world’s great players. Class personified!👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼🏴#JoeRoot #ENGvSL pic.twitter.com/F6Mp1UwRlI
— Kamran Ali (@Kam007_tweet) August 31, 2024
34th test 💯 for @root66 @englandcricket #EnglandCricket. Our greatest ever centurion and back-to-back hundreds at @HomeOfCricket.
Genius #ENGvSL 🏏 pic.twitter.com/TPoGtGIBp7
— Simon Dudley (@MrSimonDudley) August 31, 2024
Congratulations @root66 on your century @HomeOfCricket and breaking a few records with this 💯 – unquestionably one of @englandcricket greatest ever and the best English batsman in my lifetime 👏👍 pic.twitter.com/xbfwpaJ21V
— Hywel Peterson (@hywelpeterson) August 31, 2024
What a player @root66 is. Surely cannot be regarded as anything but one of the greats #EngvSL
— Mark Denholm 📻 (@markdenholm) August 31, 2024
Joe Root Supremacy in Fab 4. Hundred in both innings at Lord’s
Since Jan 2021
Jor Root 17 Test Hundreds.
Kane Williamson (9) + Steve Smith (6) + Virat Kohli (2) 17 Test Hundreds. #ENGvSL #ENGvsSL #Root
— Manoj Dimri (@manoj_dimri) August 31, 2024
3️⃣4️⃣th Test Hundred for Joe Root 🔥🔥
– Back to back hundreds at Lord’s 🤩#cricket #ENGvSL #JoeRoot #englandcricket #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/cA2jenpmlS
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) August 31, 2024
Cook smiling & clapping when Joe Root overtook him for most hundreds by an ENGLAND batter in Tests. ❤️
– A beautiful moment. pic.twitter.com/QTDaaDzCFP
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 31, 2024
Two hundreds in a Test.
This is Joe Root’s world, we’re all just living in it. pic.twitter.com/V9p0V2VmrU
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 31, 2024
Joe Root’s consistency is like a clock’s ticking—steady & reliable, marking each moment with precision & grace…
Just as time marches on, Root keeps breaking records, each milestone a testament to his enduring brilliance… pic.twitter.com/K7hIe5nM6q
— Abhishek AB (@ABsay_ek) August 31, 2024
Every Test England play, Joe Root achieves some or the other feat and he has achieved too many, with his 34th century. Today he has achieved the feat of scoring a century in both the innings of a match… Now he has the most test centuries by an English batter in Test Cricket,… pic.twitter.com/dBsL3EVD2H
— Spandan Roy (@talksports45) August 31, 2024
Also READ: ENG vs SL: Netizens celebrate as Gus Atkinson hits his maiden ton at iconic Lord’s on Day 2 of the 2nd Test
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