Joe Root reached a major milestone in his international career on Friday, November 13, as he became only the third England cricketer to play 200 One-Day Internationals.

The 35-year-old batter was named in England’s playing XI for the first ODI against Australia at Optus Stadium in Perth. The opening match of the three-game series marked Root’s 200th appearance in the 50-over format.

Before Root, only Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler had reached the 200-match mark for England in ODIs. Morgan finished his career with 225 appearances, while Buttler has played 204 matches so far. The wicketkeeper-batter, however, is not part of the ongoing series in Australia due to fitness-related concerns.

Root Joins Morgan And Buttler In Elite List

Morgan remains at the top of the list with 225 ODIs for England, having represented the team between 2009 and 2022. He scored 6,957 runs, including 13 centuries, during his career.

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Buttler is second with 204 appearances. The former England white-ball captain has scored 5,678 runs at the highest level, including 11 centuries. His best ODI score is an unbeaten 162.

Root has already gone past both players in terms of runs. He is England’s leading run-scorer in ODIs, with 8,010 runs from 200 matches. His tally includes 20 centuries and a highest score of 166 not out. He has also picked up 32 wickets in the format.

Joe Root Equals James Anderson’s England Record

Root achieved another milestone with his appearance against Australia. He has now played 401 international matches for England, taking him level with former fast bowler James Anderson.

Only Jos Buttler has represented England in more international matches. The wicketkeeper-batter leads the list with 424 appearances across formats.

Anderson finished his international career with 401 matches for England between 2002 and 2024. Root, meanwhile, continues to add to his tally and has scored 23,181 international runs, including 61 centuries.

Most International Matches For England

Jos Buttler leads the list of England players with the most international appearances, followed by James Anderson and Joe Root.

PLAYER TIME SPAN MATCHES RUNS BEST SCORE 100 WICKETS BEST FIGURES (INNINGS) 5W CATCHES
Jos Buttler 2011-2026 424 12969 162* 15 – – – 495
James Anderson 2002-2024 401 1627 81 0 991 7/42 34 163
Joe Root 2012-2026 401* 23181 262 61 112 5/8 1 333
Eoin Morgan 2009-2022 356 10115 148 15 – – – 135
Stuart Broad 2006-2023 344 4309 169 1 847 8/15 21 103
Adil Rashid 2009-2026 337 1675 69 0 475 5/27 4 100
Alec Stewart 1989-2003 303 13140 190 19 0 – 0 422
Paul Collingwood 2001-2011 300 9934 206 15 144 6/31 1 218
Moeen Ali 2014-2024 298 6678 155* 8 366 6/53 5 110
Jonny Bairstow 2011-2024 287 11581 167* 23 – – – 343
Ian Bell 2004-2015 287 13331 235 26 7 3/9 0 158

Sachin Tendulkar Holds The World Record

While Root continues to climb the list for England, India’s Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for playing the most international matches in cricket history.

Tendulkar represented India in 664 international matches between 1989 and 2013. His career included 200 Test matches, 463 ODIs and one T20I.

He remains the most-capped player in both Test and ODI cricket. Tendulkar also holds the record for the most runs and centuries in international cricket, making him one of the greatest players the game has ever seen.