How Joe Root compares as he closes in on Brian Lara on Test run-scorers list

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Joe Root is up to eighth on the list of all-time Test run-scorers and goes into the third Test against the West Indies on the verge of passing Brian Lara for seventh.

Here, the PA news agency looks at how he compares.

Chasing Lara

West Indies great Lara scored 11,953 runs in 131 Tests, with Root 13 behind on 11,940 in 142 games after his second-innings 122 in the second Test at Trent Bridge.

Lara holds the record Test score of 400 not out, made against England in 2004. That was one of his 34 Test centuries, with a batting average of 52.89 for his career. He played 130 Tests for the Windies and also scored five and 36 in a solitary appearance for an ICC World XI.

Root’s average of 49.96 is three runs fewer than Lara’s, despite having 21 not-out innings to only six for Lara – he has batted 28 times more overall. He is behind by just two centuries having made 32 but does have significantly more half-centuries, 62 to 48.

Lara made his runs at an impressive strike rate of 60.51. Root, who has faced over 21,000 deliveries in Test cricket, has accelerated his own strike rate in the last couple of years in England’s ‘Bazball’ era to stand at 56.63 – behind only Lara and Ricky Ponting of the top 10 Test run-scorers.

Lara struck 1,559 fours and 88 sixes – the latter figure exactly double that of Root, who has 44 to go with 1,299 fours.

England record in sight

While Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara is the next name ahead of Lara on the list with 12,400 runs, Root could be forgiven for his sights straying another 72 runs beyond that mark.

Only Sir Alastair Cook, Root’s predecessor as captain, has made more Test runs for England and his 12,472 – and fifth place on the all-time Test list – is on the horizon.

Cook himself predicted in early 2021 that Root would “fly past” his total and with three-Test series remaining this year against each of Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand, the record should soon belong to the Yorkshireman barring a long-term injury.

India’s Rahul Dravid is ahead of Cook on the global list with 13,288, just one run behind former South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis in third.

Ex-Australia captain Ponting is second all-time with 13,378 while the record belongs to India great Sachin Tendulkar, with 15,921 runs at an average of 53.79 – his 200 Tests and 51 centuries are also records.