Joe Root Equals Alastair Cook's Record with 33rd Test Century

Joe Root matched Alastair Cook's record by scoring his 33rd Test century during England's second match against Sri Lanka at Lord's. Root's century came as he batted England out of a precarious position. He is also nearing the milestone of becoming England's highest Test run-scorer.

Joe Root has equaled Alastair Cook's record for the most Test centuries by an English batsman, smashing his 33rd century during England's second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's. Root's century came as England found themselves in a precarious situation at 42/2, but he masterfully guided the innings with his score of 143 runs off 206 balls, striking 18 fours at a rate of 69.41. The feat now places him level with Cook, who also boasts 33 Test centuries. Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for the most Test centuries at 51.

Root has also tied with English cricket stalwarts Michael Vaughan and Graham Gooch for the most Test centuries at Lord's, each having six centuries. Root is just 199 runs away from surpassing Cook to become England's highest run-scorer in Test matches. In his 145 Tests, Root has amassed 12,274 runs at an impressive average of 50.71, including 33 centuries and 64 fifties. Cook, in his 161 Tests, scored 12,472 runs.

On English soil, Root has already surpassed Cook as the highest run-scorer. In 77 Tests in England, Root has accumulated 6,630 runs at an average of 55.25, including 20 centuries. Meanwhile, Cook's record stands at 6,568 runs in 89 matches with an average of 44.37. As Root continues to break records, he now sits fifth for the most fifty-plus scores in Test cricket, with 97 such scores. Tendulkar leads this category as well, with 119 fifty-plus scores.

In the ongoing match, Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to field first. England, leading the three-match series 1-0, had the following playing XI: Ben Duckett, Daniel Lawrence, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (w), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Olly Stone, Shoaib Bashir. Sri Lanka's playing XI included Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Nishan Madushka (w), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Milan Priyanath Rathnayake.

(With inputs from agencies.)