Joe Root says he has ‘a lot more to contribute’ after record 34th Test century

Joe Root feels like he has “a lot more to contribute” for England after his record-breaking 34th Test century pushed his side closer to a series win over Sri Lanka.

Root equalled Sir Alastair Cook’s national record earlier this week but the Yorkshireman is now out on his own as, for the first time in a 145-Test career, he registered a century in both innings.

His latest ton at Lord’s was his fastest ever off 111 balls before he holed out for 103, the backbone of England’s 251, with Sri Lanka closing on 53 for two in pursuit of a world record 483 for victory.

Both Cook and another former England captain in Michael Vaughan labelled Root England’s “greatest” batter on the BBC’s Test Match Special but the 33-year-old insisted he is not sated yet.

“They’re all things you want to try and put to the back of your mind and just concentrate on what’s next,” Root said. “It’s obviously nice to get plaudits like that off two of England’s greatest players.

“But I feel like there’s a lot more work to be done and a lot more to contribute, still. When that peters out, I guess I’ll start thinking about that, then.

“Until that sort of enthusiasm has left me, who knows what it means? But it’s a very fickle game and things can change very quickly. You want to stay hungry.

“Being a part of a journey is something that really excites me and drives me as well. I’m not putting any time limits on anything, or numbers, or anything like that. I just want to enjoy playing.”

Only five other players in history have more Test hundreds than Root, who moved alongside Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara, Younis Khan and Mahela Jayawardene on the all-time list.

Half of his three-figure scores have been in his last 48 Tests, since turning 30 in December 2020. He had a prolonged break earlier that year due to the Covid pandemic, allowing him to analyse his batting.

“As an international player, it’s like a hamster wheel,” he said. “You never sort of stop and have time to really reflect and look at your game and work on things.

“But that was a period where we were at home for a long time, I had a deep dive into what my strengths were, where I was making similar mistakes and how could I eradicate them and become a more rounded player off the back of it.

“You constantly have to evolve. Teams have got so much knowledge and information now that you can’t be happy with where you’re at, and you can’t just expect to play the same way all the time.

“I think the last little while, I feel like I’ve had a good balance of wanting to get better and evolve, but not trying too much, too quickly. And I guess that’s the art of it.”

His enjoyment under head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes has seen him flourish. Since stepping aside as leader in March 2022, Root averages an enviable 59.23, with nine hundreds in 28 Tests.

“This environment and the way we look at the game now is so fun to be around, it’s an environment where you see guys thrive and even as a senior player it gives you so much energy,” Root said.

“You continually want to add and evolve and get better and put into the pot. It’s all a product of what this team is creating.”

Root embraced his father at the end of his innings, with his wife and children also in the crowd, and then he took his 199th and 200th Test catches before bad light brought an early end to the third day.

“I nearly blanked him, I didn’t even realise it was him to start with, so it was really nice to share that moment with him,” Root, the top-ranked Test batter in the world, added.

Former England team-mate Ian Bell, Sri Lanka’s batting coach for this three-match series, hailed Root, saying: “It was awesome to watch. His skill level is incredible.

“I’ve spent plenty of time playing with Joe, watching him train and the way he goes about his business, just to see what he’s achieved with so much more to give is quite incredible.”