Joe Root closes gap with Chanderpaul, Sachin for THIS record after anchoring England home in 1st Test vs SL

Joe Root continues his purple patch with another fifty in a successful run chase against Sri Lanka during the Manchester Test on Saturday (Aug 24). Root completed his 64th Test fifty, hitting an unbeaten 62 in the fourth innings and helping England win by five wickets late on day four. With that, he closed the gap with Test greats like Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Sachin Tendulkar for most fifties by a batter.

Root is now two fifties away from equalling Chanderpaul’s record (66), three from surpassing him and five from going past the legendary Tendulkar (68) to become the Test batter with the most half-centuries.

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The right-handed batter has been at the helm of things for England for the longest time. Root's unbeaten 62 was his 10th fifty-plus score in the fourth inning, equalling Geoffery Boycott’s tally, while former captains Michael Atherton and Alastair Cook are ahead with 11 fifties each. Root also surpassed Ian Bell and Denis Compton to become the player with the most fifties (8) at Old Trafford in Manchester.

Win at Trafford

England suffered a blow early on day four after late-night reports suggested that Mark Wood would not take any further part in the game due to a right thigh injury. The Sri Lankans made most of this chance, with Kamindu Mendis smashing a brilliant hundred in the third innings, his third in only his fourth Test, taking a lead of 204.

With around four sessions and ten wickets left, England fancied their chances of winning this series opener. Though Ben Duckett and Dan Lawrence began scoring swiftly, England lost two wickets, including Captain Ollie Pope on six.

Root joined Lawrence in the middle with the scorecard reading 56 for two.

Lawrence departed soon after on 36, whileRoot partnered with Harry Brook and first-inning centurion Jamie Smith to help England get closer to the target. Both got out in their thirties but Root stood tall at one end, completing his fifty.

“It was a tricky one today. It was a long, slow grind, but we got there in the end. The outfield is as long as I've seen for a long time in England, and the wicket itself obviously lost a lot of pace throughout.

“So, it was quite hard to time the ball, and I didn't really feel comfortable trying to muscle it. It felt like that would bring the catchers in front of the bat into the game, so just had to accumulate in a slightly different way,” Root said.

Alongside Chris Woakes, who scored eight runs, England completed the run chase with five wickets remaining.

However, the hosts will likely be without Wood for the remainder of the series, with the next Test starting at Lord’s on August 29.

(With inputs from agencies)