Joe Root overtakes Sri Lanka legend to become sixth leading Test run-scorer

England cricketer Joe Root achieved another remarkable milestone as surpassed former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara to become the sixth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket.

Root, currently ranked No. 1 in the ICC Test batter’s ranking, reached 12,402 runs in 267 innings across 146 Tests, surpassing Sangakkara’s record of 12,400 runs.

Root’s impressive performance in the third Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval has brought him closer to overtaking England’s all-time leading run-scorer in Test cricket, Alastair Cook, who has 12,472 runs to his name.

The 33-year-old is just 70 runs shy of achieving this feat.

In addition to surpassing Sangakkara, Joe Root is on the verge of another achievement. He needs just 27 more runs to become the first batter in history to score 5000 runs in World Test Championship matches.

Furthermore, a century in the second innings of the ongoing Test would lift him into the top six of batters with the most Test centuries, alongside legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting.