Root Breaks Tendulkar Record as England Whitewash Pakistan

Joe Root scored an unbeaten 62 to guide England to an eight-wicket victory over Pakistan in the third Test at Edgbaston on September 12, 2026, completing a 3-0 series whitewash. The innings marked Root's 69th Test half-century, surpassing the long-standing record of 68 held by Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar. The win was secured on the fourth day of the match as England chased a target of 130 runs. After losing both openers in the first over, Root and wicketkeeper Jordan Cox, who also scored an unbeaten 59, steadied the innings to see the hosts home with eight wickets in hand. The result capped a dominant series for England, who had already won the first two Tests at Headingley and Lord's. Root's record-breaking knock came in 309 innings, a notably faster accumulation than Tendulkar, who reached his 68 fifties across 329 innings. The 35-year-old now leads the all-time list for Test half-centuries, followed by Tendulkar, West Indies great Shivnarine Chanderpaul with 66, and Australians Allan Border and India's Rahul Dravid, who both have 63. During the same innings, Root also became the first batter in Test history to score over 1,000 runs at Edgbaston.