Joe Root (ANI Photo)
Joe Root etched his name in the record books on Thursday, becoming the first England batter to cross 8,000 runs in One-Day Internationals during the clash against Sri Lanka in the Pakistan ODI Tri-Series.The experienced right-hander reached the landmark with a fluent knock of 69 off 66 deliveries, striking eight fours. He achieved the feat in his 186th ODI innings, further underlining his consistency in the 50-over format.Root's latest innings took his career tally to 8,005 runs in 197 matches at an average of 50.66 and a strike rate of 87.83. His record also includes 20 centuries and 49 half-centuries, with a highest score of 166.
Root leads England's ODI run-scoring charts
Root's achievement puts him comfortably ahead of the other leading run-scorers in England's ODI history. Former captain Eoin Morgan occupied second place with 6,957 runs from 225 matches, leaving a gap of 1,048 runs between the two.Jos Buttler follows with 5,678 runs, while Ian Bell (5,416) and Paul Collingwood (5,092) complete the top five. Root also leads the group in career average and centuries, reflecting his ability to deliver substantial contributions across different stages of his career.
Since making his ODI debut against India in Rajkot in 2013, Root has established himself as one of England's most dependable batters. His ability to combine consistency with the capacity to build long innings has made him a key figure in the side's batting line-up.
A consistent run-scorer across formats
Root's productivity has extended well beyond ODIs. In 2015 and 2016, he set consecutive records for the most runs scored by an England player across all formats in a calendar year, registering 2,228 and 2,570 runs respectively.In 2016, he also came within five runs of Michael Vaughan's England record of 1,481 Test runs in a calendar year, set in 2002.Root was appointed England's Test captain in 2017 following Alastair Cook's resignation. During the second half of that decade, he continued to make significant contributions in ODIs, scoring more than 900 runs in each of three consecutive years from 2017 to 2019.He stepped away from the 50-over format in 2020 but returned in 2023 ahead of the ODI World Cup in India. Although England endured a disappointing campaign, Root contributed three half-centuries.His latest milestone adds another chapter to an international career built on consistency and adaptability, establishing him as the first English batter to reach the 8,000-run mark in ODIs.