Joe Root added another major achievement to his remarkable Test career during the England vs Pakistan 1st Test match as the England batter equalled Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the most half-centuries in Test cricket.

Root reached the milestone during England’s second innings in the first Test against Pakistan at Headingley. The England captain scored a composed 66 off 112 balls, taking his number of Test fifties to 68. He now sits level with Tendulkar at the top of the list.

Root delivers when England need him

Root came to the crease with England in trouble at 48/2 after Pakistan were bowled out for 171 in their first innings. He then put together an important partnership with Jordan Cox to take the pressure off the hosts.

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The pair added 150 runs from 204 balls, helping England move ahead of Pakistan’s first-innings score.

Root looked comfortable throughout his innings. He punished loose deliveries and regularly found the gaps, finishing with 10 boundaries. His drives and cuts were particularly effective against Mohammad Ali and Khurram Shahzad.

His innings eventually came to an end when Shahzad trapped him LBW. Root tried to work a delivery that moved in towards him, but missed the ball completely and was struck on the knee roll. England reviewed the decision, but ball-tracking showed three reds, confirming the on-field call.

Although Root missed out on a bigger score, his 66 proved valuable as England strengthened their position in the Test.

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Root matches Tendulkar’s record

Root reached 68 Test half-centuries in far fewer matches than Tendulkar. He took 33 fewer Tests to reach the mark, underlining just how consistently he has scored fifties throughout his career.

Here's the list of batters with the most Test half-centuries:

Player Country Span Mat Inns Runs Average 100s 50s
Sachin Tendulkar India 1989-2013 200 329 15,921 53.78 51 68
Joe Root England 2012-2026 167* 305 14,180 50.64 41 68
Jacques Kallis South Africa 1995-2013 166 280 13,289 55.37 45 58
Ricky Ponting Australia 1995-2012 168 287 13,378 51.85 41 62
Rahul Dravid India 1996-2012 164 286 13,288 52.31 36 63
Shivnarine Chanderpaul West Indies 1994-2015 164 280 11,867 51.37 30 66
Kumar Sangakkara Sri Lanka 2000-2015 134 233 12,400 57.40 38 52
Allan Border Australia 1978-1994 156 265 11,174 50.56 27 63
Alastair Cook England 2006-2018 161 291 12,472 45.35 33 57
Mahela Jayawardene Sri Lanka 1997-2014 149 252 11,814 49.84 34 50

Earlier in his career, Root was often criticised for not converting enough starts into hundreds. However, he gradually worked on his game and became much more effective at turning good starts into big scores.

That change has played a major role in Root becoming one of the most prolific Test batters of his generation. Now, with 68 half-centuries to his name, he has another piece of Test history to share with Tendulkar.