Joe Root breaks this Test record of David Warner
What's the story
England captain Joe Root's stellar batting display at The Oval was overshadowed by a heavy defeat to New Zealand. Albeit in a losing cause, the batting talisman struck a brilliant 77 off 145 balls in the fourth innings of the game. Despite his efforts, England perished for 209 while chasing 463 in the second Test. However, during his stay, Root shattered an elite record held by former Australian opener David Warner.
Final blow
How did the match pan out?
On the fifth morning, England started from 182/5 but lost their last five wickets in just 48 minutes. Matt Henry wreaked havoc on the lower order, ending with impressive figures of 6-29 in the second innings and match figures of 11-109. Root was England's last major hope but added just two runs to his overnight score before being trapped LBW by Henry for 77, effectively ending the hosts' resistance. The England star made 46 runs in the first innings of the game.
Stats
Most runs in home Tests against NZ
During his 77-run knock, Root became the batter with the most Test runs against New Zealand in a particular country. He went past Warner, who clocked 1,042 runs against the Kiwis in Australia at 80.15. Across 11 Tests against NZ at home, Root has raced to 1,051 runs while averaging 52.55, as per ESPNcricinfo. The tally includes three tons and five fifties. No other batter has scored 1,000 or more runs against NZ in a nation (Tests).
Feat
Most Test runs against NZ
The game also saw Root become the first batter to clock 2,000 runs in Tests versus New Zealand. Across 23 Tests against the Kiwis, Root has completed 2,057 runs at a fine average of 51.42. Pakistan's Javed Miandad (1,919) is the only other batter with 1,700-plus runs against NZ. While Root has clocked six tons in this regard, only Miandad has reached the milestones more times (7).
Information
Most 50-plus scores against NZ in Tests
Root also owns the most 50-plus scores against NZ in the longest format (16). Meanwhile, Root also happens to be the only batter with 1,000-plus away runs on NZ soil. He has scored 1,006 across 12 Tests in this regard at 50.3.
Career
Root only behind Tendulkar
During his stay, the 35-year-old Root also became the second batter to complete 14,000 Test runs. Sachin Tendulkar still owns the most runs in Test cricket with a tally of 15,921 runs at 53.78 from 200 matches. Root takes the second spot with 14,075 runs across 165 matches (302 innings). He averages 50.81 with the help of 41 tons and 67 fifties.