Joe Root surpasses Michael Vaughan’s record (1,481) for the most Test runs by an England batsman in a calendar year; Root has passed fifty eight times in 2021, with six hundreds; Pakistan’s Mohammad Yousuf has hit most Test runs in calendar year, after scoring 1,788 in 2006
Last Updated: 10/12/21 6:10am
Joe Root has overtaken Michael Vaughan’s record for the most Test runs in a calendar year by an England batter.
Root surpassed Vaughan’s tally of 1,481 – set in 2002 – during day three of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane.
The 30-year-old’s half-century at The Gabba marked the eighth time in 25 Test innings he has passed fifty in 2021, with the Yorkshireman having hit six hundreds in that time.
Root amassed 228 and 186 in Sri Lanka in January before scoring 218 in the first Test against India in Chennai in February.
The England skipper then notched centuries in three successive Tests at home to India in August, with 109 in the Trent Bridge Test, an unbeaten 180 at Lord’s and 121 at Headingley.
Root is eyeing another century having clinched an 80-ball fifty at The Gabba on Friday and passed 1,500 runs in 2021.
Former Pakistan star Mohammad Yousuf holds the record for the most Test runs in a calendar year, racking up 1,788 in 19 innings in 2006 with nine hundreds and three fifties.
West Indies legend Sir Vivian Richards is second on that list, having struck 1,710 in 1976.