ENG vs SL, 2nd Test: Joe Root scripts history, breaks Alastair Cook's record to become....

On Saturday, batter Joe Root surpassed Alastair Cook to become the player with the most Test centuries for England, reaching a total of 34 during day three of the second Test against Sri Lanka.

Root achieved his second century in the same match, scoring 102 in the second innings following his impressive knock of 143 in the first innings.

England concluded their second innings at Lord’s with a total of 251 runs, setting Sri Lanka a challenging target of 483 to win the second test and potentially level the three-match series.

Joe Root's 34th Test century has elevated him to an exclusive group of elite batsmen. By achieving this milestone, he has now joined the ranks of legendary cricketers such as Younis Khan, Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara, and Mahela Jayawardene in terms of Test centuries. It is worth noting that only five cricketers have scored more Test centuries than Root.

Most Hundreds in Test Cricket 

51 Sachin Tendulkar, India

45 Jacques Kallis, South Africa/ICC

41 Ricky Ponting, Australia

38 Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka

36 Rahul Dravid, India/ICC

34 Sunil Gavaskar, India

34 Brian Lara, West Indies

34 Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka

34 Younis Khan, Pakistan

34* -Joe Root, England

33 Alastair Cook, England

Most Test hundreds for England

34 - Joe Root 

33 - Alastair Cook 

23 - Kevin Pietersen 

22 - Wally Hammond 

22 - Colin Cowdrey 

22 - Geoffrey Boycott 

22 - Ian Bell

50 or more hundred in international cricket

100 - Sachin Tendulkar 

80 - Virat Kohli 

71 - Ricky Ponting 

63 - Kumar Sangakkara 

62 - Jacques Kallis 55 - Hashim Amla 

54 - Mahela Jayawardene 

53 - Brian Lara 

50 - Joe Root

Also read| Meet Rubina Francis, bike mechanic's daughter who overcame leg dysfunction to win bronze at Paris Paralympics