3 Records Joe Root could break against Pakistan in ongoing Test series

Joe Root is leading England's resurrection after being reappointed as captain of the Test side. He is set to work in tandem with their newly appointed red‑ball head coach, Stephen Fleming.

While Root has served as captain before, he has big shoes to fill, as Ben Stokes had a stellar run in the role. Stokes left his own imprint on the English side, and Root now faces the challenge of establishing his own identity as leader. Captaincy remains a daunting responsibility, but Root must also take care of his batting, as a great deal hinges on his performances in the ongoing Test series against Pakistan. He is also on the verge of three remarkable batting milestones. Here is a look at each of them:

#1 Most Test fifties in men's cricket  

Joe Root is currently tied with Sachin Tendulkar for the most fifties in Test cricket, with both sitting on 68. One more fifty will take Root past Tendulkar and make him the batter with the most half‑centuries in Tests.

#2 Most Test catches in men's cricket  

Joe Root and Steve Smith are currently tied on 219 Test catches (as fielders). Although the record has frequently changed hands between the two, Root needs just one more catch to hold the record for a few months, as Smith’s next Test assignment is against South Africa in October.

#3 Most Test wins as captain in England  

Joe Root needs just two more Test wins to overtake Andrew Strauss’ record for the most Test wins by any captain in England. Root is currently on 18 wins, while Strauss’ tally stands at 19. Achieving this would also make Root only the sixth captain overall and the first in England to win 20 matches in a particular country. The others to do so are Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting in Australia, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli in India, and Graeme Smith in South Africa.