Joe Root crosses 14,000 Test runs, becomes only second player after Sachin Tendulkar to do so
England batter Joe Root joined an elite list as he crossed 14,000 Test runs during Day 4 of the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval on Thursday.
In doing so, Root became only the second player after Sachin Tendulkar to have scored more than 14,000 runs in the longest format of the game.
Root, who is England’s stand-in captain in the absence of Ben Stokes, achieved the feat in 302 innings, 24 innings slower than Tendulkar, who took only 279 innings to cross the 14,000-run mark.
The 36-year-old, who is regarded as one of the greatest batters in Test cricket, has a career average of 50.77 and has scored 66 half-centuries and 41 centuries in Tests since his debut against India in 2012.
Most runs in Test cricket
Sachin Tendulkar- 15,921 in 279 innings
Joe Root- 14,000* in 165 innings
Ricky Ponting- 13,378 in 168 innings
Jacques Kallis- 13,289 in 166 innings
Rahul Dravid- 13,288 in 164 innings
Published on Jun 20, 2026
