Joe Root reaches the shortest possible long way
Joe Root has climbed to second on the all time men’s Test run list with 13,409. He passed Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting during one innings, the statistical equivalent of overtaking three cathedrals before tea.
Only Sachin Tendulkar remains ahead. His 15,291 runs sit in the distance like a mountain wearing pads and politely insisting that nobody needs to make a fuss.
Root says he will not focus on the record. This is wise, because every broadcaster now displays the gap often enough for him to see it reflected in the back of his eyelids.
The scoreboard develops a subplot
“Joe should play naturally,” said Neville Spreadsheet Slip, Curator of Unavoidable Milestones. “We shall support this by updating an enormous countdown after every single.”
England may need 27 to win, but Root needs 1,882 to make the record book rearrange its furniture. The scoreboard has added a second panel and begun charging rent.
As a child, Root imitated great batters in gardens, streets and driveways. He has now passed several of them, though Mrs Wilkins still wants compensation for the cover drive through her greenhouse.
Fans insist the chase must not become a distraction. They demonstrate this by mentioning it during every ball, rain delay, lunch interval and unrelated discussion about seam position.
Root will concentrate on winning matches. The run chart will concentrate on Root with the fixed smile of a colleague who volunteered to organise the collection.
The remaining distance gets a bigger font
Second place is a magnificent achievement. Cricket has rewarded him by turning the remaining distance into a number visible from space.
Read the real story: The ICC report on Joe Root reaching second in the Test run rankings.
