Joe Root is number one

[kyear2]

climbs into my top ten

Personally wouldn't go that far, but a reevaluation will be needed at some point if he continues like this.

Even at the end there he kept going for tuns, he didn't care about his average.

 

[Johan]

Personally wouldn't go that far, but a reevaluation will be needed at some point if he continues like this.

Even at the end there he kept going for tuns, he didn't care about his average.

will probably re-evaluate when his career ends, he and Smith are by far the best of this generation and think they both would end up in my top 10 tbh

though you'd have some clown thinking Mark Waugh is on the level

 

[Ali TT]

And now 200 test match catches. Good chance he could end up with the highest total of runs and highest number of catches and never have those records eclipsed.

 

[Daemon]

He’s not far from the 40+ against everyone everywhere. Needs a really good series in Aus and a good game or two against BD. Pak in Pak and Ireland are the other two ****blockers.

 

[BazBall21]

A bit surprised they didn't declare once he reached his hundred even Sri Lanka were completely trapped. Hitting with inept tailenders doesn't suit him but he generally has a go. Hopefully carries this form into the winter.

 

[kyear2]

A bit surprised they didn't declare once he reached his hundred even Sri Lanka were completely trapped. Hitting with inept tailenders doesn't suit him but he generally has a go. Hopefully carries this form into the winter.

Yeah, they went on longer than expected, and for minimal gains

 

[BazBall21]

Yeah, they went on longer than expected, and for minimal gains

They probably went on for his hundred as there's no weather risk, but to not declare once he got there was odd.

 

[mackembhoy]

I obviously hope he does, but I don't think Root catches Tendulkar. I don't think batting is as much of an adverse grind to him as it was to a Cook who was less talented, but I also don't think Root is as insatiably obsessed with batting as people like Tendulkar, Steve Smith, Shivnarine Chanderpaul etc. And while he has sorted his conversion issues out, he can get bored and suffer lazy dismissals when runs get cheaper; which reduces his chances of catching Tendulkar a bit. Obviously, you can't knock a guy who made 143 too much. But stick Tendulkar or a Smith etc in that situation yesterday and he's almost certainly finishing 200*.

I'm going to estimate he bows out in the 2027 Ashes.

If he does bow out at the end of 2027 Ashes at the age of 36.

Then he's got currently 34 scheduled tests to get 3545 runs.

Would need to average 104 runs a test, he's averaged 94 runs a test since the beginning of 2021.

 

[BazBall21]

If he does bow out at the end of 2027 Ashes at the age of 36.

Then he's got currently 34 scheduled tests to get 3545 runs.

Would need to average 104 runs a test, he's averaged 94 runs a test since the beginning of 2021.

If he is to catch Tendulkar, he needs to play beyond then I think.

 

[The_CricketUmpire]

Most Test 100s

*matches/innings*

51: Sachin Tendulkar (200/329)

45: Jacques Kallis (166/280)

41: Ricky Ponting (168/287)

38: Kumar Sangakarra (134/233)

36: Rahul Dravid (164/287)

34: Younis Khan (118/213)

34: Sunil Gavaskar (125/214)

34: Brian Lara (131/232)

34: Mahela Jayawardene (149/252)

34: Joe Root (145/265)

 

[Johan]

His technique IS strong enough to allow him to keep up another year or two after that I reckon, modern healthcare probably helps too.

 

[The_CricketUmpire]

And now 200 test match catches. Good chance he could end up with the highest total of runs and highest number of catches and never have those records eclipsed.

Most catches in career in Tests - Top 20

Player	Span	Mat	Inns	Ct	Max	Ct/Inn
R Dravid (ICC/IND)	1996-2012	164	301	210	3	0.697
DPMD Jayawardene (SL)	1997-2014	149	270	205	4	0.759
JE Root (ENG)	2012-2024	145*	275	200	4	0.727
JH Kallis (ICC/SA)	1995-2013	166	315	200	4	0.634
RT Ponting (AUS)	1995-2012	168	328	196	3	0.597
SPD Smith (AUS)	2010-2024	109	207	183	5	0.884
ME Waugh (AUS)	1991-2002	128	245	181	4	0.738
AN Cook (ENG)	2006-2018	161	300	175	3	0.583
SP Fleming (NZ)	1994-2008	111	199	171	5	0.859
GC Smith (ICC/SA)	2002-2014	117	225	169	5	0.751
BC Lara (ICC/WI)	1990-2006	131	241	164	4	0.68
LRPL Taylor (NZ)	2007-2022	112	212	163	3	0.768
MA Taylor (AUS)	1989-1999	104	197	157	4	0.796
AR Border (AUS)	1978-1994	156	277	156	4	0.563
Younis Khan (PAK)	2000-2017	118	221	139	4	0.628
VVS Laxman (IND)	1996-2012	134	248	135	4	0.544
MJ Clarke (AUS)	2004-2015	115	223	134	3	0.6
ML Hayden (AUS)	1994-2009	103	205	128	4	0.624
SK Warne (AUS)	1992-2007	145	281	125	3	0.444
GS Chappell (AUS)	1970-1984	87	165	122	4	0.739

 

[kyear2]

Most catches in career in Tests - Top 20

Player	Span	Mat	Inns	Ct	Max	Ct/Inn
R Dravid (ICC/IND)	1996-2012	164	301	210	3	0.697
DPMD Jayawardene (SL)	1997-2014	149	270	205	4	0.759
JE Root (ENG)	2012-2024	145*	275	200	4	0.727
JH Kallis (ICC/SA)	1995-2013	166	315	200	4	0.634
RT Ponting (AUS)	1995-2012	168	328	196	3	0.597
SPD Smith (AUS)	2010-2024	109	207	183	5	0.884
ME Waugh (AUS)	1991-2002	128	245	181	4	0.738
AN Cook (ENG)	2006-2018	161	300	175	3	0.583
SP Fleming (NZ)	1994-2008	111	199	171	5	0.859
GC Smith (ICC/SA)	2002-2014	117	225	169	5	0.751
BC Lara (ICC/WI)	1990-2006	131	241	164	4	0.68
LRPL Taylor (NZ)	2007-2022	112	212	163	3	0.768
MA Taylor (AUS)	1989-1999	104	197	157	4	0.796
AR Border (AUS)	1978-1994	156	277	156	4	0.563
Younis Khan (PAK)	2000-2017	118	221	139	4	0.628
VVS Laxman (IND)	1996-2012	134	248	135	4	0.544
MJ Clarke (AUS)	2004-2015	115	223	134	3	0.6
ML Hayden (AUS)	1994-2009	103	205	128	4	0.624
SK Warne (AUS)	1992-2007	145	281	125	3	0.444
GS Chappell (AUS)	1970-1984	87	165	122	4	0.739

Obviously way better odds to claim the catches record than the runs one.

Not nearly in the same league as 3 of the 4 guys he's immediately above though.

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

And now 200 test match catches. Good chance he could end up with the highest total of runs and highest number of catches and never have those records eclipsed.

How long before he overtakes Murali?

 

[Howe_zat]

For me, the way he completely carried the rest of his team in the final 18 months of his captaincy is probably always the thing that will make him stand out amongst top level players. It sometimes happens with bowlers and with minnows but I really can't think of a bat propping up a major test team in quite a way.

In that period he hit 2066 runs, the next best was Bairstow with 771. He hit 8 out of 13 tons with no one else scoring more than two. Root averaged 54, and even when you exclude the tailenders and only count the top seven, the rest of them put together averaged 23. Twenty bloody three!

They won four matches, drew five, and lost 10. In all four matches they won, Root scored a hundred. In three of the five matches they drew, Root scored a hundred.

 

[The_CricketUmpire]

Obviously way better odds to claim the catches record than the runs one.

Not nearly in the same league as 3 of the 4 guys he's immediately above though.

I still think players like Mark Taylor and Mark Waugh were better than Joe Root in terms of catching. It helps when you play a lot of Test matches.

 

[Coronis]

For me, the way he completely carried the rest of his team in the final 18 months of his captaincy is probably always the thing that will make him stand out amongst top level players. It sometimes happens with bowlers and with minnows but I really can't think of a bat propping up a major test team in quite a way.

In that period he hit 2066 runs, the next best was Bairstow with 771. He hit 8 out of 13 tons with no one else scoring more than two. Root averaged 54, and even when you exclude the tailenders and only count the top seven, the rest of them put together averaged 23. Twenty bloody three!

They won four matches, drew five, and lost 10. In all four matches they won, Root scored a hundred. In three of the five matches they drew, Root scored a hundred.

Yeah, but did he save test cricket?

 

[TheJediBrah]

I still think players like Mark Taylor and Mark Waugh were better than Joe Root in terms of catching. It helps when you play a lot of Test matches.

I don't think anyone disagrees with you

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

I don't think anyone disagrees with you

Normally a very good catcher, but some of the drops in this series…bloody hell

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

I still think players like Mark Taylor and Mark Waugh were better than Joe Root in terms of catching. It helps when you play a lot of Test matches.

They’ve got stats for everything these days, is there a measure for who’s the best catcher based on how difficult all the chances they get are?