ENG vs NZ, 1st Test: Joe Root On The Cusp Of Taking Over Sachin Tendulkar’s Massive Record | Details Inside
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ENG vs NZ, 1st Test 2026: England’s talisman batter Joe Root will resume his quest to take over Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of Test runs when the first of the three Tests against New Zealand gets underway on June 4, Thursday at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. Nevertheless, the series-opener could itself see the Yorkshire batter overtake the Indian legend to script yet another record.
ENG vs NZ, 1st Test 2026: Which record of Sachin Tendulkar can Joe Root surpass in the opening Test?
Currently, Tendulkar holds the record for being the fastest player to 14000 runs as he achieved it in 171 Tests and 279 innings and did so against Australia in Bengaluru in 2010. With Root on the verge of being the only second batter to 14000 Test runs, the elegant right-hander has the chance to achieve the milestone quicker than Tendulkar in terms of matches. Needing only 57 runs to get there, the former England captain can get there as early as in the opening Test of the series.
Root has also played only 163 Tests thus far, meaning he will accomplish the milestone quicker than Tendulkar. The hosts have also announced their starting 12 for the first Test.
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England XII for 1st Test: Ben Stokes (captain), Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Josh Tongue.
ENG vs NZ, 1st Test 2026: What happened the last time New Zealand and England squared off in a red-ball game?
England and New Zealand last square off in a Test series in late 2024. The Englishmen, led by Ben Stokes, went on to wrap the series in the first two Tests, defeating the Kiwis convincingly in both. Nevertheless, the Kiwis consigned the tourists to a massive 423-run defeat in the third and the final Test to claim a consolation victory.
England have a lot to gain out of this series from the perspective of the World Test Championship (WTC) final as they are languishing at 7th in the table with only three wins out of 10 matches. The Englishmen haven’t lost a home series since Brendon McCullum took over as coach. New Zealand, on the other hand, are second in the WTC points table and were the last team to beat England in their backyard in a Test series.
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