Root becomes first Englishman and fourth overall to post 100 fifty-plus scores in Tests

Joe Root continued to deliver big in the red-ball format and bagged yet another record to his already overflowing list. Root became the first Englishman and fourth overall batter in the history of Test cricket to post 100 fifty-plus scores in the format. Root reached the mark when he scored the half-century against New Zealand in the second Test in Wellington. He later converted that into a century, his 36th in the red-ball format. 

Only Sachin Tendulkar (119), Jacques Kallis (103), and Ricky Ponting (103) are the only three players to have more than 100 fifty-plus scores in the format. That makes Root the only active player with 100 fifty-plus scores. Rahul Dravid, with 99 fifty-plus scores, is the next on the list.

Easily the greatest-ever England batter, Root has scored over 12000 runs with 35 centuries and 65 half-centuries. What makes him special is the incredible record he has everywhere. While the Yorkshire born averages 54.94 in England, his average of 50.94 in New Zealand, 50.21 in South Africa, 45.42 in India, 65.50 in Sri Lanka, and 51.50 in West Indies make him a stand-out player. 

In three out of the last four calendar years, Root has already scored over 1000 runs in Test cricket - marking his way into greatness and, easily, the best batter in the world currently.

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