Joe Root has equaled his own record as the highest run-scorer in home Tests, having reached a landmark in the second innings of the Lord's Test. The England batsman hit 24 off 37 balls on his way to passing the 7,500-run mark in 89 matches on home soil.
Root had only managed to score four runs before being dismissed by Mohammad Ali in the 17th over of England's second innings. Despite his low contribution in the match, he was to add to his remarkable achievement of having scored 16 centuries at home.
How does Joe Root's home record compare with Ponting and Tendulkar?
England international Joe Root became the second-highest Test run-scorer in home matches on Friday, surpassing former Australia captain Ricky Ponting's tally of 7,578 runs from 92 Tests. Ponting held the record for the most runs scored by a player in home conditions in Australia, and Joe Root reached the same number of runs in three fewer Tests.
India's Sachin Tendulkar remains the leader in the list, having scored 7,216 runs in 94 Tests in India. Sachin also retains his position as the highest Test run-scorer of all time with a total of 15,921 runs, and Joe Root is still about 1,700 runs behind him.
The England batsman's record-breaking performance came on the back of a poor scoring session for him. Joe Root had only one half-century in his previous 10 innings at home this year, and his best score in the last 10 innings was a 77 against New Zealand at The Oval earlier this summer.
Besides, Joe Root became the first England batsman to score 11,928 runs in 260 innings in 199 matches at home in Tests. He needs only 72 more runs to join the 12,000-club in Tests in England.
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Joe Root Breaks Sachin Tendulkar's World Record in His Second Test as Captain
Joe Root's new record came this summer during a low-scoring period for him. The batsman had only one half-century in his previous 10 innings at home this year.
He posted his best score of the series, a 77, against New Zealand at The Oval earlier this summer. Meanwhile, in his recent Test series against New Zealand, Ben Stokes announced his retirement from international cricket. Stokes laid down his captaincy duties in the third Test match against New Zealand in July 2026, and Joe Root was named the Test captain.
Joe Root captained England for the first time this year when the two Test matches were played at Headingley on 19 th August 2026, the day Pakistan toured England for the first time. He had captained England before between 2017 and 2022 and led them to 27 Test wins in 64 matches.
He is currently balancing the demands of the captaincy with the high expectations for England's number one batsman. Having set a new benchmark for English Test batters, Joe Root is set to achieve a new milestone in his cricket career.