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Joseph Edward Root (born 30 December 1990) is an English international who plays for England in Tests and ODIs. He captained the Test side from 2017–2022. He plays for Yorkshire in County cricket. Root is currently the leading run-scorer among active batsmen, the second highest run-scorer of all time in Test cricket and the highest run scorer for England. Root is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of his era and among the finest England has produced. He was part of the England team that won the 2019 Cricket World Cup, where he top scored for England. , he has topped the ICC rankings for Test batsmen on nine occasions.
Root made his Test debut in 2012, his ODI debut in 2013 and played for the England Twenty20 International team between 2012 and 2019. He captained England's Test team between February 2017 and April 2022, and holds the records for most Test matches (64), wins (27) and losses (26) as England captain. On the occasion of England's 1,000th Test in 2018, Root was named in the country's greatest all-time Test XI by the England and Wales Cricket Board. He was named both the ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year and the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for 2021.
A right-handed batsman, Root originally played as an opener but has played the majority of his cricket for England in the middle order. He is both England's highest run-scorer in Tests and in ODIs. He holds the record for both most Test (41) and most ODI (20) centuries for England. In June 2022, he became the second batsman for England, and fourteenth overall, to score 10,000 Test runs. Along with Harry Brook, he holds the world record for highest fourth-wicket stand (and fourth highest overall) in Tests (454), and with James Anderson the highest tenth-wicket partnership (198). He is also England's leading run scorer in the ICC World Cup and the only English player to score over 1000 runs in the competition. Root also bowls occasional off spin, and regularly fields at first slip, holding the record for most Test catches by an outfield player.
Root followed in his father’s footsteps by joining Sheffield Collegiate CC, in Abbeydale Park. Former Yorkshire batsman and England captain Michael Vaughan also plied his trade at Collegiate and was a source of inspiration for Root, who became a protégé of his. Root won Player of the Tournament in the prestigious Bunbury Festival. Root is a supporter of Sheffield United F.C.
After another man of the series performance, this time on England Under-19 duty in Bangladesh, Root signed a three-year professional contract with Yorkshire. Root was selected for the Under-19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand, making an unbeaten 70 in a victory against Hong Kong as England progressed to the quarter-finals before being eliminated by the West Indies. Later that winter, he was sent to the Darren Lehmann Cricket Academy in Adelaide, South Australia, to fine tune his game.
In 2011, Root’s County Championship debut against Worcestershire at New Road in April was one of 15 matches he played that year on top of his England Lions cricket team debut against Sri Lanka A. At Scarborough in August, he scored his maiden Championship hundred against Sussex. Root captained Yorkshire in the match that they won the 2014 County Championship title and helped them retain it the following year. In April 2022, Root was retained by the Trent Rockets for the 2022 season of The Hundred. and on 23 December 2022 he was bought by Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2023 auction.
Root made his T20 debut in the second of a two-match series that followed, although he was not required to bat. He was also included in the ODI squad after Jonny Bairstow withdrew. Root was not required to bat on his ODI debut either, but did bowl nine overs, collecting figures of 0-51, as England won by nine runs. He made scores of 36 and 39 in the next two matches, before making his maiden ODI fifty in the fourth match of the series, although England lost by five wickets. Root finished the series with 163 runs.
Following the successful tour of India, Root was retained in the Test squad for the tour of New Zealand and was added to the previously announced ODI and T20 squads. After being an unused batsman in the third T20, he started the ODI series with two half-centuries, contributing 56 in the first game before top-scoring with 79 off 56 balls in the second. In doing so, Root became the first batsman to start his ODI career with six consecutive scores of over 30 and finished the series with 163 runs.
In the Test series, Root continued to bat in the middle-order and in the third Test he made 45 off 176 balls before being bowled by Tim Southee. The series ended 0-0 and Root finished the series with 88 runs.
Root was named in the England squad for the Champions Trophy. He featured against Sri Lanka and hit 68 runs off 55 balls in a seven-wicket loss. Root helped England to a 10-run win over New Zealand by making 38 runs off 40 balls, which secured them a place in the semi-finals. In the last four against South Africa, Root scored 48 off 71 balls as England eased to a seven-wicket win and advanced to the final. Following England’s loss to India, he was named as 12th man in the Team of the Tournament by the ICC.
Root was asked to opening the batting with captain Alastair Cook for the Ashes after the selectors decided to drop Nick Compton from the England side. In the first Test he made scores of 30 and 5, and took his first Test wicket when he had Ed Cowan caught in the second innings. In the second innings of the second Test, Root made 180 before England declared to set Australia a target of 583. In the final innings Root took the wickets of Usman Khawaja and Australia captain Michael Clarke in consecutive overs with both batters well set on 50-plus scorers. This saw Root named Man of the Match for his performance with bat and ball. England retained the Ashes after a drawn third Test and victory in the fourth saw the series won, though Root did not contribute significantly to either result. He top-scored for England in the final Test to finish the series with 339 runs.
Root was selected to bat at number four for the first T20I, with Australia setting England 249 to win. Root came in with England 37-3 and scored a career-best 90 not out from 49 balls, but this was not enough to prevent a 39-run defeat. Root also played in the second game, which England won, to split the series. England lost the ODI series 2–1, with Root finishing the series with 36 runs from four matches.
Root was selected for the return Ashes in Australia. He was moved back to number six for the first Test with Michael Carberry given the opening batsman role alongside Alastair Cook. Root only managed two runs from seven balls in the first innings before being caught off a Mitchell Johnson delivery. In the second innings Root made 26 not out off 86 balls before running out of partners as England collapsed to defeat. The second Test saw Root move up to number three, filling the spot vacated by Jonathan Trott, who had returned home due to a stress related illness. He scored only 15 runs, which was the third highest number of runs scored by an England batsman in the first innings, in a collapse by England. However, Root’s second innings showed some fight as he top scored with 87 and was unfortunate not to make a century. England went on to lose and trailed 2–0. Root was out controversially for just four in the first innings of the third Test and made 19 in the second as England lost the match and as a result relinquished the Ashes. When England lost the fourth Test, Root was dropped for the final Test, with Yorkshire teammate Gary Ballance making his Test debut. England went on to lose the series 5-0 and Root finished the series with 192 runs.
Root batted at three in the first ODI, however, he only made three runs before getting out LBW. He managed to take the wicket of David Warner as Australia cruised to a six-wicket victory. England kept faith despite Root’s waning form and he played in the second ODI, but only made two runs before Mitchell Johnson trapped him in front. Root did contribute with the ball by taking the wickets of Shaun Marsh and Michael Clarke. Root was dropped for third and fourth ODIs due to his poor run of scoring, but returned for the final match, adding 55 from 86 balls. Root finished the series part of a side that lost 4–1, making 60 runs.
Root was named in the T20 side and in the first match made 32 off 24 before being caught by Aaron Finch. In the second T20 he made 18 runs in another loss, England finishing the series 3-0 losers. Root scored 61 runs in three matches.
During the first ODI against Sri Lanka as part of the Sri Lankan tour in 2014, Root made 45 runs and also took 1 catch in the 81 runs win. During the fourth ODI he made 43 off 68 balls in England's loss. England lost the series 3–2 and Root finished up with 98 runs.
Following the ODI series, in the first Test Match at Lords, Root scored an unbeaten 200 off 298 balls with 16 fours and guided England to their highest Test score against Sri Lanka of 575-9d. He is the fourth youngest English batsman to score a double century. The series finished 1–0 to Sri Lanka and Root top scored for England with 259 runs.
Root scored his 4th Test century for England in the first Test Match against India at Trent Bridge. His unbeaten 154 helped England recover from 298–9 to post 496 as he and James Anderson shared a world record 10th wicket stand of 198. Although England went into the second innings with a lead, they were unable to force a result. In the second Test of the series, Root made 66 in England's second innings but was unable to prevent a defeat. In the third match of the series, Root made a quick fire 66 in England's second innings to help them force a result and level the series at 1–1. He hit yet another half century in the fourth Test, as England won by an innings to take a 2–1 series lead. In the final Test at the Oval, Root scored his 5th Test century scoring an unbeaten 149 to help England post a first innings score of 486 all out in reply to India's 148 all out. Root won the Man of the Match award for his performance in that Test. This resulted in England winning the match by an innings and secured a 3–1 series win. He finished the Test series with 518 runs and 1 wicket. For his performances in 2014, he was named in the World Test XI by the ICC.
Root had an indifferent time in the ODI series, after the first match was abandoned he made scores of 4 and 2 in the second and third ODI's. However, he made 44 in the fourth game before hitting a match winning 113 in the final game of the series. The series finished 3–1 to India and Root top scored for England making 163 runs.
Now an integral part of the English set-up, Root was selected in the 2014–15 tour to Sri Lanka to play in the 7 game ODI series. He put in a match of the match performance in the 5th ODI by making an unbeaten 104 and helping to guide England to a win that kept the series alive. In the sixth match of the series Root was again one of England's stand out performers, hitting 55. Despite this, England suffered another defeat meaning they trailed 4–2 in the series with just one game left to play. In the final game of the series, Root was again England's top scorer, this time hitting 80 although England went on to lose the match and the series 5–2.
Root was selected in the England squad for the 2015 West Indies tour. In the first Test Root continued his good run of form as he hit 83 in England's 399 first innings total. During the second innings Root scored his sixth consecutive half-century score in Tests by posting 59 before being bowled. He also bowled 13 overs and took the wickets of Darren Bravo and key man Shivnarine Chanderpaul in the last innings as the match was drawn. In the second Test Root scored his 6th Test century (also his first overseas) when he smashed 182* in 229 balls to help England reach a total of 464. This also took him past 2,000 Test runs. England wrapped the match up to win the Test and take a 1–0 lead in the series. For his performance Root was awarded the Man of the Match. He finished the series with 358 runs and 3 wickets.
In the first Test against New Zealand in 2015, Root continued his impressive form for England. He scored 98 in the first innings to help England recover from a precarious position to post 389. He again contributed in the second innings, scoring 84 to help put England in a strong position. He picked up a wicket in New Zealand's second innings as England won the match by 124 runs. In the second Test, Root was dismissed for one in the first innings and was then dismissed for a duck in the second as England lost the game, meaning the series was drawn at 1–1. He finished the Test series with 183 runs and 1 wicket.
Root was selected in a revamped ODI squad for the five-match series. In the first ODI, Root batted at 3 and scored his 5th ODI century hitting 104 off 78 balls to help England to a record 408/9 and a 210 run win. He performed more strongly in the third ODI, scoring 54, but England lost again, this time by 3 wickets. In the fourth ODI, he made his sixth ODI century by scoring 106* off 97 to help England chase a target of 350 to win the match and level the series. During this innings he passed 2,000 ODI career runs. In the fifth ODI he scored 4 in England's successful chase giving England a 3–2 series win. Root finished the series with 274 runs. In the only T20 match between the two sides he scored 68 as England went on to win by 56 runs.
Before the 2015 Ashes series began, Root was made England vice-captain. In the first Test he made a century on the first day of the Ashes series. He scored 134 off 166 balls, helping England to a total of 430. In the second innings he hit 60 runs and took the wickets of Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc before making the winning catch, all of which earned him the man of the match award. England won the Test by 169 runs. In the second Test, He took the wickets of Steve Smith and Peter Nevill in the first innings. The third Test was positive for Root as he made 63 in the first innings to give England a lead before hitting 38* from 63 balls to chase England's target of 121 runs to win the Test. In the fourth Test, Root took three catches as Australia were all out for 60 in 18.3 overs, he then went on to score 130 (his eighth Test century) which made him the youngest ever English batsman to record three Ashes centuries and help England to a 3–1 Ashes win. After this Test, Root reached the number one position in the ICC Test batting rankings, overtaking AB de Villiers and Steve Smith. After helping England to win the series 3–2, Root was named Man of the Series. He finished the series as England's highest run scorer making 460 runs and taking 4 wickets.
In the first Test of the England tour to the UAE in 2015 to face Pakistan, Root came in at number 4 and managed to score 85 off 143 balls, to help England to a total of 598/9d. In the second innings England were set 99 to win, after a shuffle in the batting order Root came in at number 3 and finished 33* off 29 balls; however bad light stopped play with England needing 25 to win and the match ended as a draw. This performance elevated him from No. 3 in the ICC Player Rankings to No. 2 rising above AB de Villiers. During the second Test, Root scored 88 in the first innings and 71 the second innings which saw him climb to No. 1 on the ICC Player Rankings for a second time, rising above Steve Smith. This also took him past 3,000 Test runs. Root finished the series with 287 runs, though England succumbed to a 2–0 series loss. Having been reinstated to the ODI squad, Root batted at number 3 in the first ODI however he was out for 0. In the second ODI he supported Alex Hales's century with 63 from 77 balls to help England to a 95 run win. In the fourth scored another half century, this time hitting 71 runs from 71 balls in England's total of 355/5, as England went on to win the game by 84 runs. England finished a 3–1 series winner with Root scoring 145 runs.
Joe was not selected for the first T20I as England fielded an experimental side. However he was included in the second T20I and came in to bat at number 4 behind James Vince. Root made 20 runs off 16 balls in the narrow 3 run win. For the third T20, Root was promoted to bat at number 3 with Alex Hales being rested and James Vince opening. He scored 32 runs off 22 balls to help England to a total of 154/8. Pakistan reached this total and took the match to a Super Over which England won.
Root was selected for the England squad on the 2015–16 tour to South Africa, the first time he would face the team in a Test series. In the first Test of the series, Root made 24 off 37 balls in the first innings before being trapped lbw to Dane Piedt. During the second innings he scored a 73 off 128 balls to help England to a total of 326 and a 241 run win, taking a lead in the series. In the second Test, Joe scored 50 and 29 in a match where both teams passed 600 in the first innings. Root scored his 9th Test century, scoring 110 from 139 balls, in the third Test to help England to surpass South Africa's total of 313. In the second innings (chasing 73) he hit the winning runs to ensure England won the series. This marks the first time since 2004–05 that a team has won a series in South Africa. In the fourth and final Test, Root scored 76 off 128 balls to help England to a score of 342 all out in reply to South Africa's 475. He finished the series as a 2–1 winner and was England's second highest scorer with 386 runs. For his performances in 2015, he was again named in the World Test XI by the ICC.
In the first ODI, Root scored 52 from 58 balls to help back up Jos Buttler's century on the way to England's total of 399 (their then third highest ever One Day score). Root backed this up with his 7th ODI century scoring 125 in a losing effort in the third ODI. During the fourth ODI, Root scored 109, his second consecutive century, in another losing effort leaving the series drawn 2–2 coming into the fifth ODI. South Africa went on to win the series 3–2. Root finished as England's second highest scorer with 351 runs.
In the second Test of the series against Pakistan, Root scored 254, the highest total of his Test career and the second-highest of any English player (third-highest overall) at Old Trafford. Root went on to receive the man of the match award for his performance as England levelled the series at 1–1. The third Test at Edgbaston was not as memorable, making just 3 in the first innings but then playing a resilient 62 in the second to help England to a total of 445/6 and eventually, a 141 run victory. The final Test was lost by 10 wickets and the series ended in a 2–2 draw. In the ODI series, Root made 61 in the first match as England recorded an opening victory. England won the second match, with Root scoring 89. In the third match, Root scored 85 as England broke the record for the highest ever ODI score, finishing on 444/3.
Root made scores of 90 not-out and 101 in the second and third ODIs of the away series against West Indies in March 2017, with England winning the series 3–0.Twin tons round off
Root was named as part of the 'Team of the Tournament' at the 2017 Champions Trophy by the ICC, after he finished as the fourth highest run-scorer with England making the semi-final.
England bounced back and beat India 4–1. Root failed to make a score in the first four Tests, but scored 125 in the last Test. This was his first century of 2018 after going without a century in the previous three Test series (Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan). This was also Root's last game with former captain Alistair Cook. Root impressed in the preceding ODI series against India, scoring 217 runs, which included two back-to-back centuries.
He was named in the 'Team of the Tournament' for the 2019 World Cup by the ICC. They stated that "England's run machine over the years, Joe Root was the glue that held their famed batting together through the tournament. The Yorkshire batter finished as the fifth highest run-scorer of the tournament, with 556 runs from 11 innings. Root's flawless technique and ability to keep the scoreboard moving by rotating the strike and finding the boundaries when required makes him a perfect No. 3 in this line-up".
Australia retained the Ashes with a 185 run victory at Old Trafford in the fourth Test, helped by a first innings double hundred from the returning Steve Smith, as Root made scores of 71 and 0. England restored some pride at the Oval with a 135 run victory to conclude the series, which was drawn 2–2. Root again made a half-century but failed to score a century in the series, leading to further criticism of Root's conversion rate. Root averaged just 32.50 throughout the series.
Root captained England to a 3–1 series victory in South Africa, which he described as his 'proudest result' as captain. England got off to a slow start, losing the first Test at Centurion, but came back to win the series comfortably. In the third Test he took career best bowling figures of 4–87 as England won on a turning Gqeberha pitch. Root had a consistent series with the bat, making three half-centuries, but was criticised once more for not converting his fifties into hundreds.
Root captained England to a second series win of the summer with a 1–0 win in the three Test series against Pakistan: England won the first Test followed by two rain-affected draws.
In November 2020, Root was nominated for the Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade and the award for Test cricketer of the decade.
Later in the summer, Root continued his good form in Tests, with centuries in each of the first three games in the series against India seeing him return to the top of the ICC Test batting rankings. As a team England fared less well, trailing the series 2–1 when the final Test was postponed due to COVID-19.
On 4 January 2022, at the fourth Ashes Test in Sydney, he captained England for the 60th time taking the record for the most Test matches as England captain. On 15 April 2022, having captained England 64 times, Root resigned as Test captain stating: "It has been the most challenging decision I have had to make in my career but having discussed this with my family and those closest to me; I know the timing is right".
During the rescheduled fifth Test against India, Root scored the winning runs with his unbeaten 142. He finished the series with over 700 runs in five Tests.
In the following 2022 series against South Africa, Root had a rare quiet series with the bat, only scoring 50 runs across four innings with a top score of 23.
Root was named in the England squad for the 2023 Ashes Series in England. He subsequently hit his 30th test century with his 118 not out in the first innings at Edgbaston. England went on to lose the first and second tests in the series, with Root failing to make a score of note in the second test at Lord's. After England came out on top in the third test at Headingley, Root scored 84 and 91 in the 4th and 5th tests respectively helping England to draw the series.
On the third day of the first Test of the series against Pakistan at Multan in October 2024, Root overtook Sir Alastair Cook as England's highest Test run-scorer and moved into fifth place on the list of highest run-scorers in Test history. This was part of his highest Test score to date of 262, his sixth double-century, and in the same innings he shared an England record stand of 454 with Harry Brook. This was also a record for any fourth-wicket partnership in Tests.
In the subsequent series in India, Root came under heavy criticism during the third test at Rajkot for being dismissed playing a reverse scoop shot, with it being described by Scyld Berry as "the worst, most stupid, shot in the history of England's Test cricket".
Root moved into second place on the list of highest run-scorers in Test history on the third day of the fourth test against India at Manchester in July 2025.
On 4 December 2025, Root scored his first Test century in Australia, guiding England to 334 in the first innings of the second Test of the Ashes series at the Gabba.
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