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Joe Root eyes Tendulkar's record after historic fifty
By REDIFF CRICKET
August 25, 2024 12:55 IST

IMAGE: Joe Root registered his 64th half-century in Test cricket, making him the England batter with the most fifties. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Reuters

England's batting maestro Joe Root etched another record to his name with his match-winning half-century against Sri Lanka in the first Test at Manchester.

Root's unbeaten 62 guided England to a successful chase of a challenging target of 205 against a spirited Sri Lankan bowling attack at Old Trafford.

This was Root's 64th half-century in Test cricket, making him the England batter with the most fifties. Overall in Tests, he is third on the list trailing only Shivnarine Chanderpaul of the West Indies (66 fifties) and India's legend Sachin Tendulkar (68 fifties).

Root also notched his 10th fifty-plus score in the fourth innings of a Test, as he once again stood tall in a high-pressure run chase. He is now just behind England teammates Michael Atherton and Alastair Cook, who have each scored 11 half-centuries in the fourth innings.

Root's latest fifty was his eighth at Old Trafford, setting a new record for the most fifty-plus scores at this venue in Test cricket.

REDIFF CRICKET
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