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[Saba Sports News] England’s stalwart Joe Root added another feather to his illustrious Test career by scoring his 32nd Test century on Day 4 of the ongoing Trent Bridge Test against the West Indies in Nottingham on Sunday (July 21). Root has now equaled the century tally of Australia’s Steve Smith and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson.
Root is now second only to former England captain Sir Alastair Cook, who holds the record for the most centuries for England. Root reached this milestone with a cover drive off Alzarri Joseph in the 84th over, during his innings of 122 off 178 balls, before being dismissed by Jason Holder.
Additionally, Root became the eighth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket, surpassing Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene (11,814 runs) and West Indies’ Shivnarine Chanderpaul (11,867 runs). This century was his fifth at Trent Bridge, equaling the record of England legends Denis Compton and Michael Atherton.
Root also tied the record for the most Test centuries against the West Indies, joining Alan Lamb, Colin Cowdrey, Sir Andrew Strauss, and Sir Alastair Cook, all with six centuries.
In the ongoing match, Root and Harry Brook both scored centuries, helping England post a formidable 425 runs and setting a target of 385 for the West Indies. The visitors are struggling at 75/4 after 17 overs, needing another 310 runs to win. If the West Indies fail to reach the target, England will secure a 2-0 lead in the three-match Test series.