Skip to content

Cricket

Joe Root: England's Record Run-Scorer and His Return to the Captaincy

How Joe Root went from Yorkshire prospect to England's leading Test run-scorer, and why he was handed the Test captaincy for a second time in 2026.

By PlayerWikipedia Editorial Team Published

Joe Root has spent more than a decade as the anchor of England's Test batting. Few modern players have combined consistency and longevity so effectively, and in 2026 his career took an unexpected turn when he was asked to lead the Test side again. This explainer traces the main stages of his career and what makes his record stand out.

From Sheffield to Yorkshire

Root was born in Sheffield on 30 December 1990 and came through the Yorkshire system, playing for the county from 2009. Yorkshire, founded in Sheffield in 1863 and based at Headingley in Leeds, is one of the traditional powers of English county cricket, and Root developed there as a right-handed batter who could also bowl useful off-spin.

Establishing himself in Test cricket

He made his Test debut against India in December 2012. Over time he became the batter around whom England built their innings.

His white-ball career brought its own highlight. Root was part of the side that won the 2019 Cricket World Cup and was England's leading run-scorer during that tournament.

The first spell as captain

Root took over the Test captaincy in February 2017 and held it until April 2022. He led England in 65 Tests, a national record. He stepped down after a difficult run of results, and Ben Stokes succeeded him.

Climbing the run-scoring list

Freed from leadership duties, Root kept scoring heavily. He became England's highest run-scorer in Test cricket and moved into second place on the all-time list. According to career figures dated late October 2026, he had passed 14,000 Test runs with 41 centuries and an average above 50.

Back in charge

The captaincy returned to him in 2026. Stokes announced in June that he would retire from international cricket at the end of the home Test series against New Zealand. Root had already stood in as captain for one Test in that series. Ahead of the August series against Pakistan, England reappointed him for a second spell as full-time Test captain, with the expectation that he would lead the side through to the next home Ashes.

Why his record matters

Root's career is a reminder of the value of steady accumulation in Test cricket. He has rarely relied on a single dominant format or method; instead he has adapted to changing team styles, conditions and roles while continuing to score runs. His return to the captaincy means that his experience now shapes England's dressing room as well as its batting order.

#cricket#joe-root#england#test-cricket

Sources

  1. Lionel Messi — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  2. Kylian Mbappé — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  3. Erling Haaland — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  4. Virat Kohli — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  5. Joe Root — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  6. Pat Cummins — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  7. LeBron James — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  8. Stephen Curry — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  9. Nikola Jokić — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  10. Spain crowned World Cup 2026 champions in New York New Jersey — FIFA (accessed 2 November 2026)
  11. 2026 World Cup Golden Boot tracker — NBC 6 South Florida (accessed 2 November 2026)
  12. Lionel Messi announces his retirement from the Argentine national team after a historic career — beIN SPORTS (accessed 2 November 2026)
  13. LeBron James informs Lakers he will play elsewhere in 2026-27 — NBA.com (accessed 2 November 2026)
  14. LeBron James signs with the Philadelphia 76ers: 'I am so excited' — FOX 29 Philadelphia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  15. RCB win IPL 2026 final by 5 wickets, defend title against Gujarat Titans — Adda247 Current Affairs (accessed 2 November 2026)
  16. England Test captain Ben Stokes announces international retirement — The Irish Times (accessed 2 November 2026)
  17. England reappoint Joe Root as full-time Test captain — Arab News Pakistan (accessed 2 November 2026)
  18. Inter Miami CF — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  19. FC Barcelona — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  20. Paris Saint-Germain FC — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  21. Real Madrid CF — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  22. AS Monaco FC — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  23. Manchester City F.C. — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  24. Borussia Dortmund — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  25. FC Red Bull Salzburg — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  26. Molde FK — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  27. Indian Premier League — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  28. Yorkshire County Cricket Club — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  29. New South Wales cricket team — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  30. KK Mega Basket — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  31. NBA & ABA Team Index — Basketball-Reference (accessed 2 November 2026)
  32. List of National Basketball Association arenas — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  33. FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking — FIFA (accessed 2 November 2026)
  34. Cristiano Ronaldo — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  35. Kevin De Bruyne — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  36. Mohamed Salah — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  37. Jude Bellingham — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  38. Vinícius Júnior — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  39. Rodri (footballer, born 1996) — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  40. Harry Kane — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  41. Robert Lewandowski — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  42. Luka Modrić — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  43. Bukayo Saka — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  44. Lamine Yamal — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  45. Florian Wirtz — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  46. Jamal Musiala — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  47. Phil Foden — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  48. Antoine Griezmann — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  49. Virgil van Dijk — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  50. Manuel Neuer — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  51. Son Heung-min — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  52. Martin Ødegaard — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  53. Lautaro Martínez — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  54. Cole Palmer — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  55. Declan Rice — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  56. Manchester United F.C. — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  57. Liverpool F.C. — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  58. Arsenal F.C. — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  59. Chelsea F.C. — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  60. Tottenham Hotspur F.C. — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  61. FC Bayern Munich — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  62. Bayer 04 Leverkusen — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  63. Atlético Madrid — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  64. Inter Milan — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  65. A.C. Milan — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  66. Juventus FC — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  67. SSC Napoli — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  68. Sporting CP — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  69. S.L. Benfica — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  70. AFC Ajax — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  71. Al Nassr FC — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  72. Birmingham City F.C. — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  73. CR Flamengo — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  74. Villarreal CF — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  75. GNK Dinamo Zagreb — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  76. FC Schalke 04 — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  77. Racing Club de Avellaneda — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  78. Real Sociedad — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  79. Celtic F.C. — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  80. Southampton F.C. — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  81. FC Basel — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  82. ACF Fiorentina — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  83. AS Roma — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  84. VfL Wolfsburg — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  85. SV Werder Bremen — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  86. K.R.C. Genk — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  87. Lech Poznań — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  88. Hamburger SV — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  89. Strømsgodset Toppfotball — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  90. West Ham United F.C. — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  91. Portugal national football team — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  92. England national football team — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  93. Spain national football team — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  94. Brazil national football team — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  95. Belgium national football team — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  96. Egypt national football team — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  97. Germany national football team — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  98. Croatia national football team — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  99. Netherlands national football team — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  100. Poland national football team — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  101. South Korea national football team — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  102. France national football team — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  103. Tottenham Hotspur F.C. – Current squad — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  104. West Ham United F.C. – Current squad — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  105. Ward-Prowse returns home — Southampton F.C. (accessed 2 November 2026)
  106. Nuno to remain at West Ham despite relegation — beIN Sports (accessed 2 November 2026)
  107. Southampton F.C. – Current squad — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  108. Birmingham City F.C. – First-team squad — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  109. Celtic F.C. – First-team squad — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  110. Martin O'Neill confirmed as Celtic boss — SPFL (accessed 2 November 2026)
  111. First Team — FC Schalke 04 (cited by Wikipedia; not fetched directly) (accessed 2 November 2026)
  112. Die aktuelle Bundesliga-Mannschaft des HSV — Hamburger SV (cited by Wikipedia; not fetched directly) (accessed 2 November 2026)
  113. Team — FC Red Bull Salzburg (cited by Wikipedia; not fetched directly) (accessed 2 November 2026)
  114. Spieler — FC Basel (cited by Wikipedia; not fetched directly) (accessed 2 November 2026)
  115. KRC Genk – Current squad — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  116. 1ste ploeg — KRC Genk (cited by Wikipedia; not fetched directly) (accessed 2 November 2026)
  117. Men First Team (cited by Wikipedia; not directly fetched) — FC Internazionale Milano (accessed 2 November 2026)
  118. AC Milan – Current squad section — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  119. Men's First Team (cited by Wikipedia; not directly fetched) — AC Milan (accessed 2 November 2026)
  120. First Team Men (cited by Wikipedia; not directly fetched) — Juventus FC (accessed 2 November 2026)
  121. Team SSCN (cited by Wikipedia; not directly fetched) — SSC Napoli (accessed 2 November 2026)
  122. Men's team players and staff (cited by Wikipedia; not directly fetched) — AS Roma (accessed 2 November 2026)
  123. Men's football players — Paris Saint-Germain (official) (accessed 2 November 2026)
  124. Sporting CP – Current squad — Wikipedia (English) (accessed 2 November 2026)
  125. S.L. Benfica – Current squad — Wikipedia (English) (accessed 2 November 2026)
  126. Al-Nassr FC – Current squad — Wikipedia (English) (accessed 2 November 2026)
  127. CR Flamengo – Current squad — Wikipedia (English) (accessed 2 November 2026)
  128. Racing Club de Avellaneda – Current squad — Wikipedia (English) (accessed 2 November 2026)
  129. Messi brings Miami back to stun Revs, clinch Champions Cup spot — ESPN (accessed 2 November 2026)
  130. New England vs Inter Miami: Major League Soccer stats & head-to-head — BBC Sport (accessed 2 November 2026)
  131. Bruno Fernandes – Career statistics and biography — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  132. Rafael Leão – Career statistics and biography — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  133. Théo Hernandez – Career statistics and biography — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  134. Dušan Vlahović – Career statistics and biography — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  135. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – Career statistics and biography — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  136. Victor Osimhen – Career statistics and biography — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  137. Achraf Hakimi – Career statistics and biography — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  138. Bernardo Silva – Career statistics and biography — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  139. Ángel Di María – Career statistics and biography — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  140. Frenkie de Jong – Career statistics and biography — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  141. Viktor Gyökeres – Career statistics and biography — Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
  142. Joe Root
  143. England Test captain Ben Stokes announces international retirement
  144. England reappoint Joe Root as full-time Test captain
  145. Yorkshire County Cricket Club