Records are meant to be broken, and a similar scene unfolded on the opening day of the third Test between England and Pakistan at Edgbaston. England batter Joe Root added another significant achievement to his remarkable Test career, moving beyond Australian legends Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh to become the third-most capped player in the history of the format.

Joe Root achieves special milestone after surpassing Ricky Ponting

Root entered the Edgbaston Test level with Ponting and Waugh on 168 Test appearances. His selection in England’s playing XI gave him sole possession of third place on the all-time list, taking his tally to 169 Tests. Only two players now stand ahead of the former England captain. James Anderson occupies second place with 188 Tests, while Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar remains comfortably at the top with 200 appearances.

Root’s latest landmark is another reflection of his extraordinary longevity. Since making his Test debut against India in 2012, the Yorkshire batter has established himself as one of England’s most dependable run-scorers and has remained a central figure through several generations of the national side.

His numbers underline just how productive that longevity has been. Before the third Test, Root had amassed 14,208 Test runs at an average above 50, including 41 centuries and 68 half-centuries. His best score remains the monumental 262 he made against Pakistan in 2016.

He has also made useful contributions with his off-spin, collecting 74 Test wickets during his career. Root’s return to the England captaincy in 2026 has added another chapter to his international story. He previously led the side between 2017 and 2022 before taking up the leadership role again this year. The ongoing series against Pakistan had not produced the ideal start for Root individually. He had registered a half-century across the first two Tests but was still waiting for his next three-figure score when England arrived at Edgbaston.

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Sachin Tendulkar’s record in sight

While Root’s latest milestone concerns appearances, the bigger individual record on his horizon is Tendulkar’s Test run-scoring mark. Root entered the third Test with 14,216 runs, leaving him 1,706 runs behind Tendulkar’s record tally of 15,921. Despite a relatively modest score in the Edgbaston innings, Root remains the second-highest run-scorer in Test history and the only active batter with a realistic chance of catching the Indian great.

At 35, Root’s future workload and fitness will be crucial. If he continues playing regularly and maintains a scoring rate close to his career standards, projections suggest he could potentially close the gap within another 20 to 25 Tests, putting a possible record-breaking moment around late 2027 or early 2028.

For now, Root can celebrate another place in Test cricket’s history books. By moving past Ponting and Waugh, he has further cemented his status among the format’s most enduring performers, while the chase for Tendulkar’s iconic record gives his remaining career an even greater storyline.

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