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Joe Root is leading England in the third and final Test against Pakistan, which started at Edgbaston in Birmingham on September 9. By competing in the ongoing red-ball game against Babar Azam’s team, Root has surpassed Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting to become the third-most capped player in the history of Test cricket.

Root, who made his Test debut against India in 2012, is playing in his 169th Test while Waugh and Ponting were part of 168 red-ball games each for Australia.

India’s Sachin Tendulkar heads the overall list with England legend James Anderson in second place. Sachin played 200 Tests in his 24-year-long career, while Anderson represented the national team in 188 Tests.

Most Appearances in Test cricket

Sachin Tendulkar – 200

James Anderson – 188

Joe Root – 169

Ricky Ponting – 168

Steve Waugh – 168

Stuart Broad – 168

Jacques Kallis – 166

Shivnarine Chanderpaul – 164

Rahul Dravid – 164

Alastair Cook – 161

Root will be aiming to complete a series whitewash against Pakistan. Under his guidance, England have won the first two Tests comprehensively, and it will be a big achievement for Root, who is leading the national team for the second time since replacing Ben Stokes, who retired from international cricket.

Joe Root is also eyeing Sachin Tendulkar’s world record for most runs, centuries and fifties in Test cricket. Both batters have hit 68 half-centuries in the five-day format, and another fifty for the right-handed batter from Yorkshire will take him past Tendulkar’s tally.

The third Test against Pakistan is Root’s 200th international game across formats in England. He has amassed 11,928 runs in matches played at home and needs 72 runs more to become the sixth player in the history of cricket to post 12,000 international runs in the country.

India’s Sachin Tendulkar is the world record holder, with 14,192 runs in India.

Batters with 12,000+ international runs in one country (Home)

Sachin Tendulkar (India): 14,192 runs

Ricky Ponting (Australia): 13,117 runs

Jacques Kallis (South Africa): 12,305 runs

Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka): 12,043 runs

Virat Kohli (India): 12,000+ runs