Joe Root has written his name into the history books once again, becoming the first English cricketer to accumulate 23,000 international runs across all formats. The milestone was achieved during the first One Day International against Sri Lanka on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at the Riverside Ground in Durham.
The 35-year-old batter needed just three runs heading into the match to cross the historic threshold. He reached the mark cleanly with a trademark boundary flicked off his wrists. Root completed the feat in his 521st innings, making him the second-fastest player in international cricket history to reach the milestone. He edged past India legend Sachin Tendulkar, who took 522 innings to achieve the total. Former India captain Virat Kohli remains the fastest to the benchmark, having reached it in 490 innings.
An Elite Global Group
With this achievement, Root joins an exclusive club of only eight players worldwide who have scored 23,000 or more international runs. The prestigious group includes:
- Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, and Rahul Dravid (India)
- Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka)
- Ricky Ponting (Australia)
- Jacques Kallis (South Africa)
- Joe Root (England)
Before this series opener, Alastair Cook stood as England’s highest historical benchmark on the international stage with 15,737 runs. Root now sits comfortably clear of his compatriots as England’s premier run-scorer across formats.
Match Summary and Next Steps
During Tuesday’s encounter, Root contributed a steady 44 runs from 52 balls, featuring five boundaries. He anchored the innings with vital partnerships, adding 51 runs with Ben Duckett and 68 runs with captain Harry Brook. Although debutant Sri Lankan leg-spinner Sachindu Colombage eventually bowled Root, a late contribution from Will Jacks-who scored an unbeaten 46 and later claimed five wickets-helped guide England to a comfortable 89-run victory and a 1-0 lead in the series.
Having already secured a 3-0 clean sweep in the preceding T20 International series, England will look to wrap up the ongoing ODI series when the two teams meet next in Leeds.
