England star Joe Root etched his name in the history books on Day 2 of the first Test against Pakistan in Multan by reaching a remarkable milestone. Root became the first batter ever to score 5000 runs in the World Test Championship (WTC), achieving the feat with a composed knock of 32 off 54 balls, including two boundaries. Needing just 27 runs to reach the landmark, Root now has 5005 runs in 59 WTC matches. Australia's Marnus Labuschagne is second on the list with 3904 runs, followed by Steve Smith, who sits third with 3484 runs.
Root is also on the verge of breaking another significant record in this Test, as he is just 39 runs away from surpassing Alastair Cook to become England’s highest-ever run-scorer in Test cricket.
Furthermore, Root is closing in on Sachin Tendulkar’s record of scoring over 1000 Test runs in the most calendar years. After Pakistan posted a massive first-innings total of 556, thanks to centuries from Salman Ali Agha (104), Abdullah Shafique (102), and skipper Shan Masood (151), Root helped stabilise England's innings after the early dismissal of stand-in captain Ollie Pope. Root played cautiously, relying on strike rotation, and found the boundary twice before ending the day unbeaten on 32 (54).
Having already surpassed 1000 Test runs in 2024, this marks the fifth calendar year in which Root has achieved the milestone, putting him on par with legends like Brian Lara, Matthew Hayden, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara, and Alastair Cook. If Root can reach the 1000-run mark in another calendar year, he will tie Tendulkar, who holds the record with six such years.