JoeRoot

Right from his first-class debut for Yorkshire in 2011 as a 20-year-old, Joe Root was identified as a player of huge potential.

As such, Root's Test debut came shortly after following two solid seasons of county cricket under his belt. He scored 79 in the fourth Test in Nagpur to help England secure a draw and their first series won in India in 28 years.

His call-up to the one-day international squad came one month later and Root quickly became a lock in all formats for England. 

Some of Root's early career highlights included 180 against Australia at Lord's in 2013, 200 not out against Sri Lanka at the same venue a year later and 254 against Pakistan in Manchester in 2016. 

In 2017 Root was named captain of the England Test team, succeeding Alastair Cook who had been at the helm for four years.

Root was a member of the England team that claimed the 2019 ODI World Cup on home soil, finishing as England's leading run-scorer with 556 at 61.77. 

Once cricket resumed following the Covid pandemic, Root hit a hot streak that saw him move to the world's No.1-ranked batter, smoking Sri Lanka for 228 and 186 in two Galle Tests, 218 against India in Chennai and three centuries in five Tests against the Indians at home in 2021. 

In 2025, Root moved past 13,000 Test runs, becoming just the fifth player in the history of the game to the milestone and the first from England.