Joe Root made cricket history by becoming the top run-scorer in home Tests for all nations. A knock of 24 off 37 deliveries in his second innings at Lord’s increased his career total on English soil to 7,591 runs in 89 Tests, surpassing Ricky Ponting’s previous best of 7,578.
Joe Root had only scored four runs in the first innings of that match when Mohammad Ali bowled him in the 17th over of the second innings. The low combined return of 28 runs over both innings meant little in the grand scheme of things; the accumulated weight of 89 Tests at home had already done the job.
How does Joe Root home record compare against those of Ponting and Tendulkar?
Ponting scored 7,578 runs in 92 Tests played in Australia during his 17-year international career. Root has now surpassed that amount in three fewer home Tests, demonstrating his consistency at the top of England’s batting order over the past decade.
Sachin Tendulkar is third on the all-time list with 7,216 runs from 94 Tests at home. Tendulkar also retains the total Test run-scoring record of 15,921, which Root currently trails by about 1,700 runs.
Joe Root total international score on English soil stands at 11,928 runs from 260 innings in 199 matches. He needs 72 more runs in domestic internationals to achieve 12,000 across formats.
What is Joe Root recent form and captaincy context at this stage?
Joe Root reached this milestone without a century in his first ten innings of the 2026 home season. His highest score over that period was 77, achieved at The Oval during England’s home series against New Zealand earlier this summer.
The captaincy dimension strengthens his present campaign. Ben Stokes announced his retirement from international cricket during the third Test against New Zealand in July 2026, and Joe Root was named England’s Test captain shortly after, on a Thursday in late July. His second spell in charge began on August 19, 2026, at Headingley, when England played Pakistan in the series’ first Test.
Root’s first stint as captain lasted from 2017 to 2022, during which time he led England in 64 Tests and won 27. He now bears both the captaincy and the weight of expectation as England’s most prolific home Test hitter, a combination that will shape the next phase of his international career.
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