Cricket

Joe Root's remarkable Test career has reached new heights, with the former England captain surpassing Alastair Cook as his country's leading run-scorer. Cook, who witnessed Root's historic achievement in Multan, Pakistan, expressed his admiration and belief that Root has the potential to become the most prolific run-scorer in Test cricket history, surpassing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.Root's current tally of 12,716 runs places him just 3,206 runs behind Tendulkar's record of 15,921 runs. While the task may seem daunting, Cook believes that Root's exceptional talent and longevity could make it a reality."I think Joe Root could set a mark, certainly on an English side, that'll be very hard to beat," Cook said. "But you just never know. I hope he can get very close, if not be the first person who scores 16,000 Test runs. It'd be a great achievement."Root's journey to the top has been marked by consistency and brilliance. He has scored over 1,000 runs in a calendar year on seven occasions, including a record-breaking 1,786 runs in 2021. His ability to adapt to different conditions and bowl types has made him one of the most feared batsmen in the world.As Root continues to pile up runs, cricket fans are witnessing a potential shift in the history books. Tendulkar's record has stood for over two decades, but Root's relentless pursuit of excellence could see him break the unbreakable.

Ollie Pope, the England wicketkeeper-batter, believes that the current England Test team has the potential to break the record for the most runs scored in a day in Test cricket. The current record stands at 588 for 6, set by England against India in 1936.Pope's comments come after England's impressive performance in the second Test against the West Indies at Trent Bridge, where they scored 416 and 425 in their two innings. It was the first time England had scored 400-plus in both innings of a Test match."Sometimes we might score 280 to 300 in a day, but that's OK and probably because we're reading situations," Pope said. "There might also be a day where we go and get 500 to 600 at some point in the future as well. And that's a cool thing to have."England's aggressive approach with the bat, known as "Bazball" after coach Brendon McCullum, has been a key factor in their recent success. They smashed 506 runs on the opening day of the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in December 2022.Pope said that while there may be times when England batters need to "manage the game a little bit more," their attacking style has become second nature."I got asked on day one at Trent Bridge 'do you get told to play like that?' No, we don't," Pope said. "It's just our natural games and the way we go about it."England are currently 2-0 up in the three-match Test series against the West Indies. The third and final Test starts on Friday at Edgbaston.