Listing batters with most 150-plus scores in Test cricket
What's the story
Joe Root, England's batting stalwart, has scored his 17th score of 150 or more in Test cricket. The innings came in the first innings of the fifth and final Test of the Ashes series at Sydney Cricket Ground. With this achievement, Root has moved up to fifth on the all-time list of players with the most scores over 150 in Tests. On this note, let's dissect the batters who have attained the landmark most times.
Root
Joe Root - 17 scores
Root made 160 off 242 balls in his latest outing, a knock laced with 15 fours. While this was his 17th 150-plus score in Tests, Root also owns six double-hundreds in the format. Root's latest innings also marked his 41st Test century, the joint-third-most for any batter. The second-highest run-getter in Test history, Root has completed 13,937 runs in the format while averaging 51.23.
Bradman
Don Bradman - 18 scores
Australian legend Don Bradman, who is regarded as the best ever in his generation, ended up with 6,996 runs across 52 Tests at a phenomenal average of 99.94. As many as 18 of his 29 centuries were converted into 150-plus scores. He also owns the record of the most double-hundreds (12). He is also only of the only four players with multiple triple-centuries in Tests (2).
Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara - 19 scores
Sri Lankan star Kumar Sangakkara is one of the two holders of the second spot on this list. While he boasts 19 scores of 150-plus in the format, Sangakkara converted 11 of them into double-tons. Only Bradman has more such scores. The southpaw has also tallied a triple-ton. The highest from Sri Lanka in Test cricket, Sangakkara finished with 12,400 runs from 134 Tests at an astronomical average of 57.40 (100s: 38).
Lara
Brian Lara - 19 scores
West Indian legend Brian Lara also has 19 such scores in the longest format. His tally of nine double-tons is the third-most for any player. Like Bradman, he also owns two scores of 300-plus. This includes the 400* against England in the 2004 St John's Test - the highest individual score in Test history. Overall, he finished his Test career as West Indies's highest run-scorer, tallying 11,953 runs in 131 matches at 52.88 (100s: 34).
Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar- 20 scores
The highest run-getter in Test history, Sachin Tendulkar tops this list as well. The talismanic batter touched the 150-run mark as many as 20 times in his career, converting six of them into double-tons. Overall, he racked up 15,921 runs from 200 Test matches at an incredible average of 53.78. The 51-year-old also holds the record of scoring the most number of tons (51) and half-centuries (68) in the format.