Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting named England’s Joe Root to break Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most runs and appearances in Test cricket.
Tendulkar scored 15,921 runs in 200 Test matches before calling time on his legendary career and Ponting believes that Root, 33, can break the Little Master’s record.
Root is currently ranked seventh in the list of players with the most runs in red-ball cricket with 12,027 runs from 143 matches. Ponting backed the English great as he is still young.
“He (Root) could potentially do that,” Ponting said in the ICC review. “He is 33 years of age…(more than) 3000 runs behind.
“It depends on how many Test matches they play, but if they’re playing 10 to 14 Test matches a year, and if you’re scoring 800 to 1,000 runs a year, then that sort of says he’s only three or four years off getting there. So that’ll take him to 37 (years of age),” said Ponting, who is second behind Sachin Tendulkar with 13,378 runs from 168 Tests.
Ponting added that if Root has the hunger to break Tendulkar’s record and with age on his side, he could do it.
“If his hunger’s still there, then there’s every chance that he could do it. He is someone that, in the last couple of years, has gotten better and better,” Ponting said.
“There’s always talk around batters reaching their prime in their early 30s and he’s certainly done that. It’s been his conversion rates being the big thing.
“Four or five years ago, he was making a lot of 50s and struggling to go on and make hundreds and he’s gone the other way recently.
“Almost every time he gets to 50 now, he goes on and makes a big hundred. So that’s been the real turnaround for him.”
- Joe Root
- Ricky Ponting
