Joe Root is an English international cricketer who plays for the England cricket team and formerly captained the Test team. He also represents Yorkshire in English domestic cricket. Root is currently the leading run-scorer among all active batsmen and the tenth highest run-scorer of all time in Test cricket. He was part of the England team that won the 2019 Cricket World Cup where he top scored for England.
Joe Root was born on 30 December 1990 in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England. He comes from a cricketing family, with his father Matt Root having played for Sheffield Collegiate and Yorkshire Second XI. Root's younger brother Billy Root also plays for Yorkshire.
Root began playing cricket at a young age and quickly showed promise. He was educated at Sheffield Collegiate School, where he was a member of the school's first XI cricket team. He also played for Yorkshire age-group teams and made his debut for the Yorkshire Second XI in 2007.
Root made his international debut for England in December 2012 in a Test match against India. He scored 73 runs on debut and went on to score a century in the next Test match.
Root made his ODI debut for England in January 2013 against Australia. He scored a half-century on debut and has since gone on to become one of the leading batsmen in ODI cricket. He has scored over 6,000 runs in ODIs at an average of over 50.
Root made his T20I debut for England in February 2012 against India. He has played 32 T20I matches for England and has scored over 800 runs at an average of over 35.
Root has played 135 Test matches for England and has scored over 11,000 runs at an average of over 50. He has scored 27 centuries and 53 half-centuries in Test cricket. He is the leading run-scorer among all active batsmen in Test cricket and the tenth highest run-scorer of all time.
Root was appointed captain of the England Test team in 2017. He led England to a number of victories, including a 3-1 series win in Sri Lanka in 2018 and a 4-0 series win against the West Indies in 2019. He also led England to their first ODI World Cup victory in 2019
Root has been involved in a few controversies during his career. In 2014, he was fined by the England and Wales Cricket Board for using offensive language on the field. In 2018, he was criticized for his captaincy during England's defeat in the Ashes series.
Root is married to Carrie Cotterell and they have two children. He is a passionate supporter of Sheffield United FC.