England stalwart Joe Root carved his name deeper into cricket history during the opening One Day International against Sri Lanka at Durham, becoming the second-fastest player to accumulate 23,000 international runs. In reaching this prestigious milestone, the 35-year-old surpassed Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar, claiming second place on the all-time list for speed across formats.
Root reached the landmark in his 521st international innings, edging past Tendulkar, who required 522 innings to achieve the feat. Fellow Indian star Virat Kohli remains at the summit as the quickest batter to cross the 23,000-run threshold, having reached the milestone in just 490 innings.
During the match at the Riverside Ground, Root played with customary composure, crafting a well-measured innings of 44 runs from 52 deliveries, featuring five boundaries. Although his solid knock was eventually brought to an end by debutant spinner Sachindu Colombage, it was more than enough to cement his place in an exclusive club. Root is now the very first English cricketer and only the eighth player overall to cross 23,000 international runs, bringing his career total to 23,041 runs.
Fastest Batters to Score 23,000 International Runs
| Rank | Player Name | Country | Innings Required |
| 1 | Virat Kohli | India | 490 innings |
| 2 | Joe Root | England | 521 innings |
| 3 | Sachin Tendulkar | India | 522 innings |
| 4 | Ricky Ponting | Australia | 544 innings |
| 5 | Jacques Kallis | South Africa | 551 innings |
| 6 | Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 568 innings |
| 7 | Rahul Dravid | India | 576 innings |
| 8 | Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | 645 innings |
| 9 | Inzamam-ul-Haq | Pakistan | ~600+ innings |
| 10 | Brian Lara | West Indies | ~600+ innings |
This latest achievement adds to a stellar period for the English batter, who recently also surpassed Tendulkar’s long-standing record for the most half-centuries in Test cricket. As Root continues to anchor the English batting lineup across all formats, his remarkable consistency ensures he remains one of the defining sporting talents of his generation.