2 min readAug 21, 2026 09:47 AM IST
England Test captain Joe Root equalled legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the most fifties in Test cricket during the ongoing first Test against Pakistan at Headingley on Thursday.
Root brought up his 68th Test half-century on Day 2 to draw level with Tendulkar before being dismissed for 66 off 112 deliveries.
West Indies great Shivnarine Chanderpaul is third on the list with 66 fifties, while former Australia captain Allan Border and India’s Rahul Dravid round out the top five with 63 half-centuries each.
Root’s tally of 14,180 runs also makes him the highest active run-scorer in Test cricket after Tendulkar. In just 167 Tests, Root has 41 centuries and is now only 1,741 runs away from Tendulkar’s all-time record of 15,921 runs in Tests.
The 66 at Headingley was Root’s 109th 50-plus score in Test cricket, which is also the second most after Tendulkar, who had 119 fifty-plus scores in his illustrious career.
Among players with the most 50-plus scores, legendary South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis comes third with 45 tons and 58 fifties for a combined total of 103 fifty-plus scores in Tests. Ponting also has 103, while Dravid has 99.
The England skipper (42) also moved up in the list of 50-plus scores as captain in Tests, placing him fifth in the elite record. Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith leads the chart with 61, followed by Ricky Ponting (54), Border (51), and Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq (43).
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England, meanwhile, have strengthened their position against Pakistan in the first Test, taking a strong 195-run lead after finishing Day 2 on 366/8 in reply to Pakistan’s underwhelming total of 171. Jordan Cox, Root and Harry Brook struck fifties, whereas Pakistan’s spinner Ali Usman picked a five-wicket haul.
Most half-centuries in Test cricket
| Player | Mat | Runs | 100 | 50 | 50+ |
| Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 200 | 15921 | 51 | 68 | 119 |
| Joe Root (ENG) | 167* | 14180 | 41 | 68 | 109 |
| Jacques Kallis (SA) | 166 | 13289 | 45 | 58 | 103 |
| Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 168 | 13378 | 41 | 62 | 103 |
| Rahul Dravid (IND) | 164 | 13288 | 36 | 63 | 99 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI) | 164 | 11867 | 30 | 66 | 96 |
| Kumar Sangakkara (SL) | 134 | 12400 | 38 | 52 | 90 |
| Allan Border (AUS) | 156 | 11174 | 27 | 63 | 90 |
| Alastair Cook (ENG) | 161 | 12472 | 33 | 57 | 90 |
| Mahela Jayawardene (SL) | 149 | 11814 | 34 | 50 | 84 |
| Steve Smith (AUS) | 124 | 10878 | 37 | 45 | 82 |
| Brian Lara (ICC/WI) | 131 | 11953 | 34 | 48 | 82 |
| Steve Waugh (AUS) | 168 | 10927 | 32 | 50 | 82 |
