Legend, leader, record-breaker
Joe Root MBE is a special talent, with many believing he’s the best Yorkshire have ever produced.
It’s hard to argue considering he’s only one of three players from the county to have played 100 Tests or more and has been ranked the world’s number one Test batter on 10 separate occasions, including at the start of 2025. At time of writing, he sits atop of that particular tree.
Sir Geoffrey Boycott and Jonny Bairstow are the only other Yorkshiremen to have played 100 or more Tests for England. There is every chance Harry Brook will follow them one day.
Former captain Root is England’s leading Test Match run-scorer with 12,972 from 152 appearances. That includes 36 centuries. He went beyond Sir Alastair Cook’s records of 12,472 and 33 tons during the calendar year of 2024.
He is chasing down Sachin Tendulkar’s world-record haul of 15,921.
You would think injury is the only thing which could prevent Root from passing the former Yorkshire overseas player. At 34-years-old, Root is in fine fettle.
Root, also a very handy off-spin bowler, maybe chasing some personal records, but he already stands alone in many senses, including his haul of 1,708 runs in 2021, the most runs ever by an Englishman in a calendar year.
The Sheffield Collegiate product debuted in all three formats of international cricket in 2012 and 2013 – Tests coming first in India – having debuted for Yorkshire in a 40-over game in 2009.
A one-day World Cup winner in 2019, he is a two-time County Championship winner with the White Rose (2014 and 2015) and a two-time Ashes winner. He lifted the Championship title as stand-in captain for Andrew Gale in 2014.
In 2024, he played five Championship matches at the start of the season as Yorkshire went on to win promotion. He contributed two centuries.
Later in the year, he hit a career best 262 in Tests – against Pakistan at Multan. He shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 454 with Harry Brook. It was England’s highest ever stand for that wicket.
During the summer, he was also presented with his MBE at Windsor Castle.
Root came through the Yorkshire age-groups and Academy and captained England’s Test team between 2017 and 2022.
He didn’t make a Yorkshire appearance in 2023, but did – as aforementioned – in 2024. He’s likely to again in 2025 having opted against going to the Indian Premier League, where he has previously played for Rajasthan Royals.
He is preparing for a huge year of Test Matches, including a home summer series against India and an away Ashes tour in the winter.
At the start of 2025, Root returned to England’s ODI plans for their Champions Trophy campaign having spent nearly 15 months out of the side.
He also played some T20 cricket for Paarl Royals in the SAT20 competition.
UPDATED: Feb 2025.
