An unbelievable feat – England captain Ben Stokes hails ‘incredible’ Joe Root

Root passed former England captain Sir Alastair Cook’s record during the first Test in Pakistan.

Pa Sport Staff
Wednesday 09 October 2024 03:40 EDT
Joe Root, left, is congratulated by Ben Stokes (Anjum Naveed/AP)
Joe Root, left, is congratulated by Ben Stokes (Anjum Naveed/AP) (AP)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Ben Stokes hailed “selfless” and “incredible” Joe Root after he became England’s record Test run-scorer.

By reaching 72 not out on day three of the first Test against Pakistan in Multan, Root passed the previous mark of 12,472 runs set by former captain Sir Alastair Cook.

Current skipper Stokes is sitting out the match through injury but praised Root’s character and achievement in a video released on X by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

“The selflessness that he has is an incredible attribute for him,” Stokes said. “He always puts the team first, and the fact that he’s got so many runs is just a bonus for us.

“He’s an incredible player. It’s going to take a long, long time for someone to come in and break that record. Just a great bloke. And an unbelievable feat to score that many runs.

“But the non-selfishness that he possesses is one thing I think sets him above or sets him apart from anybody else who is going to play for England for a long time.”

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in