Joe Root breaks this international record of Kevin Pietersen: Details
What's the story
Joe Root has broken Kevin Pietersen's record for the most Player of the Match (POTM) awards in international cricket by an England player. The historic moment came during the second ODI against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Saturday. With this achievement, Root has now won 27 POTM awards in his illustrious career across all three international formats. He was awarded the POTM title for his outstanding all-round performance in the match.
Match details
Root's match-winning performance secures England's victory
In the second ODI, Root played a key role in England's victory by taking two wickets for just 13 runs in 2.3 overs. His efforts helped bowl out Sri Lanka for a low total of 219 runs. Coming in at number three, Root also contributed with the bat, scoring a vital 75 runs off 90 balls to guide his team toward their target.
Game strategy
Root's partnerships and England's successful chase
Root shared a crucial second-wicket partnership of 68 runs with Ben Duckett. He then added another 81 runs for the fourth wicket with Harry Brook, bringing England closer to victory. Jos Buttler remained unbeaten on 33 off just 21 balls as the visitors successfully chased down the target of 220 runs in just over 46 overs. The three-match ODI series is currently tied at one match apiece.
Career milestones
Root's journey to becoming England's top POTM awardee
Root has now become England's all-time leading POTM awardee, surpassing Pietersen, who won 26 awards in just 277 matches. The former has now raced to 27 awards across 383 matches for England so far. Jos Buttler, with his 399 caps for England, is third on the list with 24 POTM awards. Eoin Morgan follows closely behind with 23 awards to his name.
Next steps
Dissecting Root's POTM awards for England
Root, who is only part of the Test and ODI teams at present, hasn't played a T20I since 2019. However, he boasts a couple of POTM awards in this format. 13 of his honours have come in Test cricket. He happens to be the second-highest run-getter in the format's history. The one in Colombo was his 12th POTM award in ODIs. While Root has raced to 22,302 international runs at 49.45, no other England player even owns 16,000 runs.