Alastair Cook labelled Joe Root England's as greatest.© X (Twitter)
Former captain Joe Root entered history books by setting a new England record with his 34th Test century during Day 3 of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's. Root, who had equalled Alastair Cook's record of most centuries for England (33) in the innings, went past his former teammate with another ton in the second innings. Root surpassed Cook with a boundary off Lahiru Kumara. With the mark coming from 111 balls, it was also Root's fastest Test century. Cook has slammed his 33rd and final Test century in his last game for England. Meanwhile, Root has went past him in just his 145th Test.
However, Cook, who was on commentary duty at that time, showered huge praise on Root, and acknowledged that the latter is indeed England's greatest and deserves to enter the history books.
"He is, quite simply, England's greatest. And it's absolutely right, he should have the record on his own. Take it in, Joe. We are watching a genius," Cook said on-air while commentating for BBC Test Match Special.
Cook looked visibly emotional as Root cut Kumara for a boundary to get to the milestone. A video of the same has gone viral on social media.
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) August 31, 2024
In addition to breaking Cook's record, Root's seventh Test hundred at Lord's gave him sole possession of the most Test centuries at the iconic venue, surpassing England greats Graham Gooch and Michael Vaughan, who each had six centuries at the 'Home of Cricket.'
Root also joined an elite group of cricketers who have scored centuries in both innings of a Test at Lord's, becoming the fourth to do so after West Indies' George Headley, Gooch, and Vaughan. While Gooch's combined tally of 456 runs against India at Lord's in 1990 remains the highest by any batsman in a single Test, Root's latest century solidified his status as one of England's greatest batsmen.
Root's 34th Test century also moved him into joint-sixth place on the all-time list of Test century-makers, a prestigious group led by India's Sachin Tendulkar, who holds the record with 51 hundreds in 200 Tests. At 33 years old, Root is the only active player among these elite cricketers, further underlining his ongoing contribution to the game.
(With ANI Inputs)