TOP SPIN AT THE TEST: Joe Root becomes the THIRD Englishman to score six Test hundreds in a calendar year as captain draws level with Kevin Pietersen for centuries after India masterclass
- Joe Root became the third Englishman to hit six Test hundreds in a calendar year
- The England captain hit a superb 121 runs in a masterclass first innings vs India
- Root has now drawn level with Kevin Pietersen for Test centuries scored (23)
- England’s top order also enjoyed an excellent day as all four made half centuries
England continued to hammer home their advantage on day two of the second Test with India at Headingley.
Joe Root, who was eventually dismissed for 121, and the rest of England’s batting line-up frustrated the tourists at the crease and built up an impressive lead of 345 runs.
Here, Lawrence Booth crunches some of the numbers on a day that saw England edge closer to levelling the series at 1-1.
Joe Root became only the third Englishman to hit six Test centuries in a single calendar year
Joe Root became only the third England cricketer to score six Test hundreds in a calendar year, after Denis Compton in 1947 and Michael Vaughan in 2002. And Root still has five Tests to come before 2021 is over.
His 23rd Test century draws him level with Kevin Pietersen. Only Alastair Cook, with 33, has more for England.
Root’s eighth Test hundred against India equals the record, held jointly by Garry Sobers, Viv Richards, Ricky Ponting and Steve Smith.
The England captain moves level with Kevin Pietersen (23) and is 10 behind Alastair Cook
When he was finally bowled by Jasprit Bumrah for 121, he had 507 runs in the series at an average of 126. The next-highest aggregate on either side is Indian opener KL Rahul’s 244.
England’s top four each passed 50 in a Test innings for the first time since March 2013 at Dunedin, where Cook (116), Nick Compton (117), nightwatchman Steven Finn (56) and Jonathan Trott (52) all made at least a half-century.
England’s top four all scored half centuries for the first time since 2013 against New Zealand
The eventual opening stand of 135 between Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed was England’s highest for the first wicket since November 2016, when Hameed – on his Test debut – put on 180 with Cook at Rajkot.
In his first Test innings for three years, Dawid Malan – who was told by former national selector Ed Smith that he was better suited to batting abroad – made 70, his highest score in 14 innings in England.