Joe Root becomes third-highest capped player in Test cricket history

Joe Roothas become the third-highest capped player in Test cricket history as England face Pakistan in the third Test at Edgbaston this week. Root had been joint-third alongside Australian greats Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh, all three level on 168 Test caps. His appearance in the Edgbaston match moved him past both to stand alone in third place on the all-time list.

Root's place in the record books is reinforced by his batting numbers. Across his 168 Tests before this match, he had accumulated 14,208

runs at an average of 50.38, with 41 hundreds, 68 fifties and a highest score of 262. He is the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket history, with only Sachin Tendulkar ahead of him. Root has also contributed 74 wickets with the ball in Test cricket.

Root is currently England captain, a role he held from 2017 to 2022 and was reappointed to in 2026. In the first two Tests of the ongoing Pakistan series, he scored one half-century and was still searching for a three-figure score heading into the Edgbaston match.

Who holds the record for most Test caps of all time?

Tendulkar holds the all-time record for most Test appearances, having played 200 matches for India across a career that ran from 1989 to 2013. No other player in the history of the format has reached that mark. James Anderson, the England fast bowler who retired in 2024, is second on the list with 188 Test caps. Root's move to outright third now places him between Anderson and the two Australians he has overtaken.

Rank	Player	Country	Test Matches	Status / Era
1	Sachin Tendulkar	India	200	Retired (1989–2013)
2	James Anderson	England	188	Retired (2024)
3	Joe Root	England	169	Active (as of September 2026)
4	Ricky Ponting	Australia	168	Retired (1995–2012)
5	Steve Waugh	Australia	168	Retired (1985–2004)

Speaking about the series, England took an unassailable lead in the three-match Test series 2-0. England are sixth in the points table with six wins from 15 games, holding a percentage of 34.44.