Joe Root Career Story: England's Record Run-Scorer and Captain

Joe Root is England's Test captain again. Appointed in July 2026 after Ben Stokes retired from international cricket, Root marked his return with an innings-and-103-run win over Pakistan in his first match back in charge, four years after he first gave up the job.

He's also England's leading run-scorer in Tests and ODIs and second only to Sachin Tendulkar on the all-time Test list. Here's the Root story, plus our cricket collection.

Joe Root Fact File

Full name	Joseph Edward Root
Date of birth	30 December 1990 (age 35)
Place of birth	Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Role	Right-handed top-order batter, off-spin bowler
Nationality	English
Current status	England Test captain (since July 2026); Yorkshire
County	Yorkshire (2009–present)
Nickname	Rooty

Career History

Format	Years	Matches	Runs	Hundreds
Tests	2012–present	169	14,278	41
ODIs	2013–present	195	7,903	20
T20 internationals	2012–2019	32	893	0

International figures as of late September 2026. His highest Test score is 262 against Pakistan at Multan in 2024 and his Test average is just above 50.

A Sheffield Lad

Root grew up in Sheffield and learned the game at Sheffield Collegiate, the same club that produced Michael Vaughan. Slight and technically neat, he came through the Yorkshire academy and made his first-class debut for the county in 2010.

He made his Test debut in Nagpur in December 2012, scoring a composed 73 against India, and has been a fixture in the side ever since.

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The Making of a Great

A first Ashes century came at Lord's in 2013, and in 2016 he made 254 against Pakistan at Old Trafford. He became Test captain in February 2017 and won 27 Tests in charge before stepping down in April 2022. In 2019 he was England's top run-scorer as they won the Cricket World Cup on home soil, and in 2021 he was named Wisden's Leading Cricketer in the World.

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Records Tumble

Freed from the captaincy, Root's run-scoring went to another level. At Multan in October 2024 he made a career-best 262 and passed Alastair Cook as England's leading Test run-scorer, and in 2025 he moved to second on the all-time list behind Tendulkar. On the 2025–26 Ashes tour he finally made his first Test hundred in Australia at the Gabba, then added his 41st at Sydney to draw level with Ricky Ponting, although Australia won the series 4–1.

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Captain Again

When Stokes stepped away in 2026, the ECB turned back to Root, who said he felt better prepared for a second stint. England's next big assignment is a Test tour of South Africa in December.

Honours

England

ICC Cricket World Cup winner: 2019
England's leading run-scorer in Test and ODI cricket
England Test captain: 2017–2022 and 2026–present

Individual

Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World: 2021
ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year: 2021
PCA Player of the Year: 2021
Wisden Cricketer of the Year: 2014

State Honours

MBE: 2020 New Year Honours

Away From the Game

Root has played franchise cricket around the world, including in the IPL with Rajasthan Royals and in The Hundred, and remains a Yorkshire player. He is known for his dry sense of humour in the dressing room, and his younger brother Billy also plays county cricket.