England’s Joe Root has made history in Test cricket by surpassing Pakistan’s Javed Miandad as the leading run-scorer in Test matches against New Zealand. Root’s total now stands at 1,925 runs, surpassing Miandad’s 1,919 runs. Root has also achieved a similar milestone against India, with 2,846 runs, making him the top scorer against both New Zealand and India. He joins Kumar Sangakkara as one of the few players to lead the run-scoring charts against two different nations.
Additionally, Root has impressive records against other teams, with 2,911 runs against Pakistan and 1,816 runs against Bangladesh. Notably, Root is the first player to score more than 1,000 Test runs in New Zealand (1,006 runs) and holds the record for the most half-centuries by a visiting player in the country, with eight.
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In the third Test at Seddon Park, New Zealand dominated England with a commanding 423-run victory, securing a 2-0 series win. This match also marked Tim Southee’s farewell Test for New Zealand, adding significance to the victory. The margin of victory equals the joint-highest in Test cricket, previously achieved by New Zealand against Sri Lanka in 2018.
Interestingly, New Zealand became the first team to win a Test by over 300 runs after losing the previous one by a similar margin. They had been defeated by 323 runs in Wellington before this victory. Their success at Seddon Park remains impressive, with eight wins in 10 Tests since their last defeat to South Africa in 2012.
For England, this was their second defeat by more than 400 runs in 2024, following a 434-run loss to India in February.
