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If Root manages to score at least 30 runs in the third Test against New Zealand, then he will become the second batter after Ponting to cross the 1500-run mark in a calendar year on multiple occasions in Test cricket.
Joe Root needs 30 runs to become 2nd cricketer to score 1500 Test runs in a calendar year on multiple occasions. (Picture Credit: AFP, AP)
Joe Root will be in action for England in the third Test against New Zealand, which is set to start on Saturday, December 14, at Seddon Park in Hamilton. The right-handed batter, who is England’s leading run scorer in the five-day format of the game, scored a century in the second innings of the second Test played at Basin Reserve in Wellington last week. He would like to maintain his red-hot form in the third Test and score big runs once again.
During the third and final Test of the away series, Root will have a chance to join legendary Australian batter and former captain Ricky Ponting in an elite list. The 33-year-old batter has scored 1470 runs in 16 Tests played so far in 2024. If he manages to score at least 30 runs in the third Test, then he will complete 1500 Test runs in 2024. By crossing the 1500-run mark, Root will become the second player in the history of Test cricket to score 1500 runs in a calendar year on multiple occasions.
Ponting, who holds the record for scoring the most runs in Test cricket for Australia and second overall in the world, is the only player to date who has amassed a total of more than 1500 Test runs in a calendar year on multiple occasions.
During his playing days, Ponting scored 1503 runs in 11 Tests for Australia in 2003, and then in 2005, he hammered 1544 runs in 15 matches.
Most Test runs in a calendar year
- Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan) – 1788
- Viv Richards (West Indies) – 1710
- Joe Root (England) – 1708
- Graeme Smith (South Africa) – 1656
- Michael Clarke (Australia) – 1595
- Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 1562
- Ricky Ponting (Australia) – 1544
- Ricky Ponting (Australia) – 1503
Root, who tops the list of batters with the most Test runs in 2024, scored 1708 runs in 15 Tests for England in 2021.
Most Test runs in 2024
- Joe Root (England) – 1470
- Yashasvi Jaiswal (India) – 1304
- Ben Duckett (England) – 1134
- Harry Brook (England) – 1099
- Kamindu Mendis (Sri Lanka) – 1049
A total of seven batters—Mohammad Yousuf, Viv Richards, Joe Root, Graeme Smith, Michael Clarke, Sachin Tendulkar, and Ricky Ponting—have only managed to score more than 1500 Test runs in a calendar year.
Root has 12,886 runs to his name in 151 Tests played so far. If he manages to score 114 runs in Hamilton, then he will become the fifth player in the world after Tendulkar, Ponting, Jacques Kallis, and Rahul Dravid to score 13,000 runs in Test cricket.
Most runs in Test cricket
- Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 15,921
- Ricky Ponting (Australia) – 13,378
- Jacques Kallis (South Africa) – 13,289
- Rahul Dravid (India) – 13,288
- Joe Root (England) – 12,886
If Root crosses the 13,000-run mark in Hamilton, then he will break Sachin’s record and become the fastest batter in the world to score 13K runs in terms of matches.
Fastest to score 13K Test runs (in terms of matches)
- Jacques Kallis (South Africa) – 159
- Rahul Dravid (India) – 160
- Ricky Ponting (Australia) – 162
- Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 163
Apart from breaking multiple batting records, Root will also have a chance to become the most successful fielder in the history of Test cricket.
Most catches in Test cricket
- Rahul Dravid (India) – 210
- Joe Root (England) – 207
- Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) – 205
- Jacques Kallis (South Africa) – 200
- Ricky Ponting (Australia) – 196
Root has completed 207 catches so far in the five-day format of the game, and if he manages to take four more catches, then he will break Dravid’s record of 210 catches and take the No. 1 position.
