Joe Root jumped into the air with joy after breaking Alastair Cook’s longstanding England record.
The England star reached a century against Sri Lanka on Saturday afternoon to make it his 34th 100 for his country.
It has seen Root go clear of Cook’s record of 33 for England, an incredible feat considering third on the list is Kevin Pietersen on 23.
But there was a roaring applause for Root around Lord’s on the third day of their second test against Sri Lanka – with England eventually being bowled out for 251.
Joe Root broke Alastair Cook’s record in style
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Cook was at Lord’s to watch Root break his record and paid tribute to his old batting companion, calling him a ‘genius’.
“Quite simply, he is England’s greatest,” the England legend said, whose record of 12472 Test runs is also close to being toppled with Root on 12377.
“It is absolutely right that he has this record to himself. Take it in, Joe, we are watching you and you are a genius.
“There is a sense of inevitability around Joe Root when he bats, a sense that he is always going to score runs.
“It’s such a pleasure to see a master at work like this.”
Just before Root claimed the record as he sat on 98, pictures of Cook beamed around Lord’s with everyone watching on to see if the 33-year-old could claim the century.
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Cook was jokingly told: “It is not all about you, Ali.”
To which he replied: “That’s exactly my point! Stop showing me, it’s about Joe!”
Root’s first 100 for England came in 2013 against New Zealand at Headingley and now, 11 years later, he stands head and shoulders above everyone else.
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Alastair Cook’s record was broken but he was in high spirits
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He has racked up some incredible scores since then, including a 254 against Pakistan in July 2016, 218 against India in February 2021 and a 226 against New Zealand in November 2019.
And the Yorkshireman reached up his century in style at Lord’s on Saturday, cutting pace bowler Lahiru Kumara’s rasping ball through the covers for four in England’s second innings.
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Joe Root has scored 34 centuries for England
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Having scored a century in the first innings, it is also the first time that Root had scored two centuries in a single Test.
And he was not hanging around either, scoring the fastest century of his career from 111 balls, and his seventh ton at Lord’s.