Joe Root breaks Sachin Tendulkar's Test half-century record

England captain Joe Root has set a new world record for the most half-centuries in Test cricket history. During the third Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston, Root scored an unbeaten 62 runs off 69 balls, marking his 69th Test fifty.

This achievement surpasses the previous record of 68 half-centuries held by Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar. Root reached this milestone in just 168 matches, whereas Tendulkar achieved his 68 fifties over the course of 200 Tests.

Root’s performance helped England secure an eight-wicket victory in the match, chasing down a target of 130 runs. This win resulted in a 3-0 clean sweep for England in the three-match series. Despite the individual milestone, the series was notable for a rare statistical trend: no batsman managed to score a century across all three Test matches.

Following Root, the list of players with the most Test fifties includes Shivnarine Chanderpaul of the West Indies with 66, followed by Allan Border and Rahul Dravid, both with 63.