In an exciting turn of events during the third Test at The Oval, England’s Joe Root surpassed Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara to become the sixth-highest run-scorer in the history of Test cricket.
Root reached this milestone despite a rare double failure with the bat, scoring just 12 in the first innings and 13 in the second. Nevertheless, his tally of 12,402 runs in 146 Tests at an average of 50.62, with 34 centuries and 64 fifties, was enough to surpass Sangakkara, who accumulated 12,400 runs in 134 Tests at a higher average of 57.40.
Root’s achievement puts him among an elite group of cricketing icons, trailing only Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs), Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, Rahul Dravid, and Alastair Cook on the all-time run-scoring list in Test cricket.
As for the match itself, Sri Lanka put up a spirited fight. After bowling England out for 325 in the first innings, with Ollie Pope’s commanding 154 and Ben Duckett’s brisk 86 being the highlights, Sri Lanka responded with 263 runs. Despite some solid knocks from Dhananjaya de Silva (69), Pathum Nissanka (64), and Kamindu Mendis (64), they trailed by 62 runs.
England’s second innings saw the Lankan bowlers fight back, with England bowled out for 156 runs, largely due to Jamie Smith’s counter-attacking 67. This set Sri Lanka a target of 219 to win, which promises a thrilling conclusion to the Test match.
Both teams are poised for a gripping finale with the Lankan Lions looking to chase down the target on a tricky pitch.
