Joe Root joins 14,000 Test runs club, also becomes first cricketer to register major milestone | Cricket

Star England batter Joe Root became only the second batter in Test cricket history to reach 14,000 runs in the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval. He was two runs short of reaching the milestone and eventually got there in the fourth innings as England chase a daunting total of 463 runs to seal the series. 

With that, Root now needs fewer than 1900 runs to break Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of most runs in Test cricket. The former India cricketer holds the top spot with 15921 runs to his name in the longest format of the game. 

Apart from that, the stand-in captain also became the first cricketer to score over 2000 runs against New Zealand in Test cricket. Root required 75 runs to reach the milestone at the start of the three-Test series. He scored just nine runs in the first Test at Lord’s before improving with a 46 in the first innings of the match at The Oval. He managed to score the remaining 20 runs during his stay in the second innings. 

Most Test runs vs New Zealand:

Meanwhile, Root arrived at the crease under pressure with England facing a steep chase. The hosts lost two early wickets of Emilio Gay and Jacob Bethell, as they were reduced to 13/2 at one stage. Ben Duckett failed to live up to the potential, scoring nine as England were 40/3 at one stage. Since then, Root and Harry Brook managed to keep the scoreboard ticking, both scoring a half-century each. 

England need Root and Brook to cook

To seal the series at The Oval or even to keep it alive, England need their star batters Root and Brook to build a long-lasting partnership. With Ben Stokes not playing in the ongoing Test, they lack experience in the batting unit, as the likes of James Rew and Jordan Cox may struggle to keep up with the momentum under pressure. 

For New Zealand, they hold the edge at the moment. A couple of more wickets from here on can turn the tide completely for the visitors.

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