England Test captain Ben Stokes, currently sidelined due to injury, took a moment to celebrate his teammate Joe Root’s incredible achievement in becoming England’s leading run-scorer in Test cricket. Root, who surpassed Alastair Cook’s long-standing record of 12,472 runs, reached the milestone during the first Test against Pakistan in Multan, marking another historic moment in his illustrious career.

In a heartfelt video shared by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Stokes praised Root’s immense character and selfless approach to the game. Root, aged 33, overtook Cook’s record when he scored his 71st run on day three of the Multan Test, bringing his total to 12,473 runs in Test cricket. According to Stokes, Root has many more years left at the top, hinting that he could extend his record even further.

“Look, he is 33. He has played some 100 games in a row. I don't know. He can easily go until he is 37, 38, or even 39,” Stokes said. “He plays all the Test matches from now until then, I don't see why not. He is too good a player to at least get close to. I personally will be backing him to go past it.”

Stokes further emphasized that Root’s record is all the more remarkable because of the selflessness that defines his batting. He noted that while accumulating runs might seem like a personal achievement, Root has always focused on the team’s success.

“To score that many runs, you have to think that there has to be a bit of selfishness about the player. But everything that he has done with the bat in his hand has always been about the team,” Stokes explained. “The selflessness he has is an incredible attribute for him. He always puts the team first.”

Stokes also touched upon the criticism Root faced a few years ago for not converting fifties into hundreds, which puzzled him. For Stokes, Root’s focus has always been on how his performances help the team win matches, and that is what truly matters.

“From my point of view, when I looked at how many hundreds Joe scored and how many games we have won, that's what I look at,” Stokes added.

The England skipper also predicted that it would take a long time for someone to break Root’s new record, calling it a monumental achievement in the history of English cricket