Leg and off: Is Joe Root England's greatest batter of all time in Tests?

Seasoned England batter Joe Root continued his great form with the willow, hammering 143 off 206 balls on Day 1 of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's on Thursday, August 29. The right-handed batter struck 18 fours in his knock before falling to Milan Rathnayake, mistiming his reverse scoop.

After England were sent into bat by Sri Lanka, the hosts lost Daniel Lawrence (9) and skipper Ollie Pope (1) cheaply. Ben Duckett (40), Harry Brook (33) and keeper-batter Jamie Smith (21) failed to convert starts. Root, however, lifted England, adding 92 runs for the seventh wicket with Gus Atkinson (118).

With his three-figure knock on Thursday, Root notched up his 33 Test hundred and equaled Alastair Cook's record for most Test centuries by an Englishman. The 33-year-old is seventh on the list of batters with most runs in Test cricket, having notched up 12274 runs at an average of 50-plus.

Root is definitely among the best Test batters to have graced the game, but is he England's finest in the red-ball format?

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Root is England's second-highest run-getter in Tests

If we look at the list of batters with the most Test runs for England, Root is currently second on the list. Playing in his 145th Test, the right-handed batter has 12,274 runs to his name at an average of 50.71, with 33 hundreds and 64 fifties. Only Cook, with 12,472 runs from 161 matches, is above Root on the famed list.

Graham Gooch is third, with 8900 runs from 118 Tests at an average of 42.58. He is followed by Alec Stewart, who ended his career with 8463 runs from 133 Tests at an average of 39.54.

David Gower, with 8231 runs from 117 Tests at an average of 44.25, is fifth on the list of batters with the most runs for England in Test cricket. Kevin Pietersen (8181) and Geoff Boycott (8114) runs are the other England batters to have scored more than 8000 runs in Test cricket.

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Joe Root's stellar record in winning causes

Root tops the list of England batters to have scored most Test runs for the team in winning causes. He has featured in 65 matches that England have won and has scored 6325 runs at an excellent average of 62, with 21 hundreds and 28 half-centuries. Root's highest Test score of 254 was also registered in a 330-run win over Pakistan in Manchester in July 2016.

Significantly, England has never lost a Test match when Root has scored a double hundred. His 228 against Sri Lanka in Galle in January 2021 resulted in a seven-wicket triumph. His 218 against India in Chennai a month later saw the Englishmen win the contest by 227 runs.

Further, Root scored 226 against New Zealand in Hamilton in December 2019 and 200* against Sri Lanka at Lord's in June 2014 in drawn encounters.

Cook is second on the list of England batters with most Test runs in winning causes. In 67 matches, he amassed 5689 runs at an average of 54.70, with 17 hundreds and 20 half-centuries.

Cook is followed by Strauss, who scored 3721 runs in 47 Test matches, averaging 49.61, with 11 tons and 19 fifties. Further, Pietersen scored 3655 in 42 matches, averaging 58.01, while Ian Bell hit 3531 runs from 48 games, averaging 56.95.

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Root has excelled away from home as well

Most top England batters have an impressive Test record at home. However, quite a few of them have struggled in away conditions. Root, however, tops the list of England batters to have notched up most Test runs away from home.

In 65 matches, he has 5,357 runs to his name at an average of 45.78, with 13 centuries and 29 half-centuries.

Root averages 45.42 in India, 52.53 in New Zealand, 50.21 in South Africa and 65.50 in Sri Lanka. The 33-year-old, however, has an underwhelming Test record in Australia and Pakistan, where he averages 35.68 and 25 respectively.

The former England captain hasn't scored a Test hundred in Australia in 27 innings, which is a bit of a surprise considering his caliber.

If we compare Root's record with that of Cook in away Tests, the latter scored 5295 runs in 66 matches, averaging 45.64 with 17 hundreds and 22 half-centuries.

There isn't much to pick in the away Test record of the two England legends. Cook, however, scored five hundreds in Australia, which included a double hundred and five in India as well.

Another England legend, Wally Hammond, features third on the list of England batters with most Test runs in away conditions. In 41 matches, he notched up 4245 runs at an average of 66.32, with 13 tons and 14 fifties, which included a best of 336*. Hammond averaged 61.90 in Australia, with seven tons and 62.91 against South Africa with four hundreds.

If we look at it purely from a stats point of view, Root is right there. But whether he is the best-ever to play Test cricket for England is up for debate. Cook and Hammond (7249 runs from 85 Tests, averaging 58.45) are equally worthy contenders for the post, if not more.