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Seasoned England batter Joe Root hit a brilliant hundred on the opening day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's in London on Thursday, August 29. Thanks to the former captain's impressive batting effort, England recovered from 82-3 to reach a healthy 358-7 by stumps on Day 1 of the Test match.
Sent into bat, the hosts lost Dan Lawrence for 9 and skipper Ollie Pope (1). Ben Duckett (40), Harry Brook (33) and Jamie Smith (21) could not convert their starts. Root (143), however, lifted England, adding 92 runs for the seventh wicket with Gus Atkinson (74*). The former hit 18 fours in his knock before falling to Milan Rathnayake, completely miscuing a reverse scoop.
By notching up his 33rd Test ton, Root equaled Alastair Cook's record of most Test hundreds by an England batter. His century was also his sixth three-figure score in Tests at Lord's. On that note, let's take a look at the 'top five' list of batters with most Test centuries at Lord's. Incidentally, all of them are Englishmen!
#5 Andrew Strauss (5 hundreds)
Former captain Andrew Strauss is fifth on the list of batters with most Test hundreds at Lord's. He played 18 Test matches at the iconic venue and scored 1562 runs at an average of 52.06, with five tons to his name.
Strauss' first Test ton at Lord's came against New Zealand in May 2004 when he scored 112 and that too on debut. He followed it up with 83 in the second innings and was named Player of the Match. The left-hander then hit 137 against West Indies in July 2004.
Strauss' third Test hundred at Lord's came against Pakistan in July 2006. Leading England, he scored 128 in the second innings in a drawn contest. The 47-year-old hit 161 in the first innings against Australia in the Ashes Test of July 2009. His last Test hundred at Lord's came against West Indies in May 2012. Strauss scored 122 in the first innings as England won the game by five wickets.
#4 Kevin Pietersen (5 hundreds)
Another former England captain, Kevin Pietersen also struck five Test hundreds at Lord's. He played 15 Tests at the iconic venue in comparison to Strauss' 18. Pietersen scored 1235 Test runs at Lord's at an average of 56.13.
Pietersen's first Test hundred at Lord's came against Sri Lanka in May 2006 when he hammered 158 in the first innings in a drawn match. The flamboyant right-hander then struck a fluent 109 in the second innings against West Indies in May 2007 in another match that ended in a stalemate.
Pietersen scored 134 in the second innings against India in July 2007 and 152 against South Africa in July 2008 after England were sent into bat. The 44-year-old's last Test hundred at Lord's was a superb 202* against India in July 2011 in the first innings. England won the Test by 196 runs.
#3 Joe Root (6 hundreds)
With his sixth Test ton at Lord's on Thursday, August 29, Root equaled the record for most Test hundreds by a batter at the iconic venue. The England legend, however, features third on the list, because the batters who occupy the top two slots hit six Test tons in fewer matches.
Root is playing in his 22nd Test at Lord's and has scored 1919 runs at an average of 53.30. His first Test hundred at the venue came against Australia in July 2013 when he compiled a game-defining 180 in the second innings. The former England captain then slammed 200* against Sri Lanka in the first innings in June 2014.
Root hit a swift 190 off 234 against South Africa in July 2017 after England won the toss and batted first. The 33-year-old scored 180* against India in the first innings of the August 2021 Test. Before his ton on Thursday against Sri Lanka, he struck 115* against New Zealand in the second innings as England chased down a target of 277 with five wickets in hand.
#2 Graham Gooch (6 hundreds)
England batting legend Graham Gooch scored six centuries in 21 Test matches he played at Lord's. The former captain scored 2015 Test runs at the venue at an average of 53.02.
Gooch's first Test hundred at Lord's came when he scored 123 against West Indies in the first innings in a drawn contest in June 1980. The opener contributed 114 against India in June 1986 after England were asked to bat first. His hundred went in vain as India won the game by five wickets.
Gooch was the Player of the Match for his second-innings 183 against New Zealand in July 1986. He famously scored 333 and 123 in the Lord's Test against India in July 1990. The England great's last Test ton at Lord's came against Sri Lanka in August 1991 when he scored 174 in the second innings.
#1 Michael Vaughan (6 hundreds)
Another former England captain, Michael Vaughan had a sensational Test record at Lord's. In 12 matches at the venue, he scored 974 runs at an average of 54.11, with six centuries.
Vaughan's first Test ton at Lord's came when he scored 115 in the second innings against Sri Lanka in May 2002. The right-handed batter then hit a swift second-innings century against India in July 2002, scoring 100 off 141. The former England batter scored tons in both innings against West Indies in July 2004. He scored 103 in the first innings and 101* in the second.
Vaughan's fifth Test century at Lord's came against Bangladesh in May 2005 when he scored 120 in the first innings. The former England leader's last Test ton at Lord's was registered against New Zealand in May 2008 when he compiled 106 off 214 deliveries in the first innings.
