English · Sheffield, England · Born 30 December 1990English cricket batsman and former captain, one of England's greatest Test batsmen with over 12,000 Test runs and 30+ centuries in international cricket
Joseph Edward Root was born in Sheffield, England in 1990. He made his Test debut in 2012 and immediately established himself as England's most technically correct batsman since Michael Atherton. He has accumulated over 13,000 Test runs — the most by any England batsman in history and fourth on the all-time list behind Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Jacques Kallis. He served as England's Test captain from 2017 to 2022, scoring the most runs as captain of any player in Test history. He stepped down as captain after series defeats to Australia and New Zealand. Under the Bazball revolution led by Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum from 2022, he transformed his batting to be more aggressive — scoring 1,473 Test runs in 2021 at an average of 61.4, the most by any batsman in a calendar year. His cover drive and sweep shot are rated as technically close to perfect by coaching analysts. He is England's most important batsman of the Test era and one of the finest batsmen of his generation.
Becoming England's all-time leading Test run-scorer, surpassing Alastair Cook's record of 12,472 runs.
How They Played
Root is renowned for his classical technique and exceptional ability to play spin bowling. He possesses excellent footwork and timing, with particular strength playing through the leg side and his trademark sweep shots against spinners.
Lasting Impact
Root transformed into England's most prolific Test batsman and established himself as one of the finest players of his generation globally.
Career Honours
- ICC Test Cricketer of Year 3x
- Ashes (England multiple)
- ICC World Test Championship finalist
| Club | Period | Matches | Runs | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yorkshire | 2009–2024 | 148 | 12947 | 39 |
| Rajasthan Royals | 2018–2019 | 3 | 87 | — |
| Punjab Kings | 2022–2024 | — | — | — |