Root equals contemporary star duo on century count with Nottingham ton
England’s Joe Root hit his 32nd Test hundred against West Indies in Nottingham, which put him on par with contemporary batters Steve Smith and Kane Williamson.
Joe Root’s 32nd Test ton came in the 158th ball of his innings during England’s second innings in Nottingham.
With this, he became the joint-highest on Test century count among contemporary batters, alongside Australia’s Steve Smith and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson.
Along with the trio, former Australia skipper Steve Waugh also has 32 Test hundreds to his name.
A magnificent 32nd Test hundred for Joe Root 🏴#WTC25 | #ENGvWI pic.twitter.com/cOOM4YD2bS
— ICC (@ICC) July 21, 2024
Root’s feat came in his 142nd Test, taking him one behind Alastair Cook (33 centuries) in the all-time hundreds list for England.
Most centuries (among current players)
| Player | Country | Tests | Centuries |
| Kane Williamson | New Zealand | 100 | 32 |
| Steve Smith | Australia | 109 | 32 |
| Joe Root | England | 142 | 32 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 113 | 29 |
| Cheteshwar Pujara | India | 103 | 19 |
This was the second time he had reached the three-figure mark in Tests in 2024, after his unbeaten 122* against India in Ranchi in February.
The England batter also became the eighth-highest in terms of runs scored in Test cricket, going past the likes of Mahela Jayawardene and Shivnarine Chanderpaul during his knock.
ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 Standings
Root and Harry Brook made centuries as England piled on a total of 425 in the second innings to set West Indies a big target at Trent Bridge.
Shoaib Bashir then picked up a five-wicket haul as England bowled West Indies out for 143 to register a massive victory and go 2-0 up in the ICC World Test Championship series.