Youngest to 10000 test runs: List of players to score 10000 runs in Test match history

Gurpreet Singh | 05/06/2022
"What a player, what a man": Twitter reactions on Joe Root becoming the 14th player to complete 10000 runs in Test match history

Youngest to 10000 test runs: Joe Root smashed his 26th Test ton and accomplished the rare milestone of surpassing 10000 runs simultaneously.

On ‘Day 4’ of the first Test match between England and New Zealand at the Lord’s Cricket Ground, a Joe Root spectacle with the bat in the fourth innings has helped England prevail by 5 wickets, to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.

En route the chase of 277, a 90-run stand between skipper Ben Stokes and Joe Root for the fifth wicket on ‘Day 3’, had meant that England required mere 61 more runs on ‘Day 4’ with 5 wickets still left in the bank.

Root and wicket-keeper batter Ben Foakes (32)  made sure they nailed the chase unscathed, with the former hitting the winning boundary after some tough few months for his side under his reign.

The talk of the entire Cricketing fraternity however, and deservedly so was Joe Root (115 off 170), who not only notched-up his 26th Test century, but also reached the landmark moment of completing 10,000 runs in the format on the same delivery, during the 77th Over of the chase.

Already hailed as a modern day legend of the game, the 31-year-old went on to become the 14th player, and only the second from England (after Sir Alastair Cook) to reach the landmark moment.

Youngest to 10000 test runs

One may term it a coincidence of the highest order, as Joe Root arrived at the landmark figure at the age of 31 years and 157 days, thus becoming the joint-youngest to reach there alongside Alastair Cook, who also completed 10,000 Test runs at same age and number of days.

At the second spot is the legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar, who also arrived at the figure at 31 years of age, but took some 326 days.

Moreover, the former England skipper also became only the third player after Gordon Greenidge and Naseer Hussain to score a fourth innings Hundred at the Lord’s Cricket ground.

31 years and 157 days – Joe Root

31 years and 157 days – Alastair Cook

31 years and 326 days – Sachin Tendulkar

33 years and 134 days – Jacques Kallis

33 years 162 days – Ricky Ponting

List of players to score 10000 runs in Test match history

Player Span Runs
Sachin Tendulkar (INDIA) 1989-2013 15921
Ricky Ponting (AUS) 1995-2012 13378
Jacques Kallis (SA) 1995-2013 13289
Rahul Dravid (INDIA) 1996-2012 13288
Alastair Cook (ENG) 2006-2018 12472
Kumar Sangakkara (SL) 2000-2015 12400
Brian Lara (WI) 1990-2006 11953
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI) 1994-2015 11867
Mahela Jayawardene (SL) 1997-2014 11814
Allan Border (AUS) 1978-1994 11174
Steve Waugh (AUS) 1985-2004 10927
Sunil Gavaskar (INDIA) 1971-1987 10122
Younis Khan (PAK) 2000-2017 10099
Joe Root (ENG) 2012-2022 10015

ALSO READ: Players with fastest 10000 runs in Test match history

Post Edited By: Gurpreet Singh

About the author

Gurpreet Singh

Gurpreet Singh is a Cricket writer at The Sportsrush. His platonic relationship with sports had always been there since childhood, but Cricket managed to strike a special, intimate nerve of his heart. Although his initial dream of playing the sport at the highest level couldn't come to fruition, Gurpreet did represent the state of Jharkhand at the under-14 level. However, almost like taking a pledge to never let the undying passion for Cricket fade away even a tad, he made sure to continue the love relationship by assigning the field of journalism as an indirect Cupid. He thus, first finished his bachelor's in journalism and then pursued the PG Diploma course in English journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC). Soon after and since 2019, he has been working at The Sportsrush. Apart from sports, he takes keen interest in politics, and in understanding women and gender-related issues.