Joe Root puts captaincy cares behind him as he joins '10,000 club'

Joe Root underlined the talent that had long seemed obvious from early in his career when he became just the second England batsman to score 10,000 Test runs during a match-winning hundred against New Zealand at Lord's on Sunday. The 31-year-old Yorkshireman's typically composed 115 not out took England, who had been faltering at 69 for four, to a target of 277 and a five-wicket victory over the World Test champions with more than a day to spare.

Root radiated serenity at the crease, keeping the scoreboard ticking over against a quality attack without resorting to extravagant strokes during a 170-ball innings that spanned nearly five-and-a-half hours. No wonder Ben Stokes, in his first match since succeeding Root as England captain said afterwards of his close friend: "'Mr Dependable', Joe Root, stood up.

Scoring a hundred and 10,000 runs -- what a player and what a man." Root, an orthodox 'touch' batsman rather than a power hitter, made his mark playing for the same Sheffield Collegiate club as another former England captain in Michael Vaughan. By the time Root had turned 23 he was already being spoken of as a future England skipper, having marked his Test debut with a patient innings of 73 from 229 balls against India in Nagpur in 2012.

Root's rise continued the following year with a first Test hundred, against New Zealand at his Headingley home ground, before a maiden Ashes century at Lord's. There was a dip, however, in Australia -- where Root has still to score a Test century -- as he lost form along with several team-mates as England were whitewashed during the 2013/14 Ashes.