Most Test 50s: Another area where Joe Root can trump Sachin Tendulkar

Jonhenry Wilson 14 Aug 2025

Joe Root is one of the most prolific half-centurions in Tests.

One question intrigues me: how many 50s will Joe Root finish his career on? There is every chance that he may end his Test career with the most half-centuries.

Then there is also the possibility that he might not overtake Tendulkar. Sport is unpredictable like that.

While thinking of that, I decided to have a look at the top seven batters with the most half-centuries in Test cricket.

1. Sachin Tendulkar (India)

68 Test half-centuries
1989-2013

It takes a special kind of talent for a person to plant an enduring record in sports. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was special; he scored 38,387 points in the NBA.

His record stood for 34 years before LeBron James surpassed it. The cricket world should have known that Sachin Tendulkar was on his way to creating numerous Test records when he walked out to bat in his first Test in the same year that Abdul-Jabbar retired.

Tendulkar didn’t do anything remarkable in his first Test, but he scored a half-century a few days later, in his second outing for India.

He registered his maiden half-century, a well-played 59, against Pakistan in Faisalabad. Twenty-four years and 328 innings later, Tendulkar scored his last half-century, a wonderful 74, against the West Indies at the Wankhede. It was also his final Test match.

Most of Tendulkar’s 68 half-centuries came from playing against three teams, Australia (16), England (13), and the West Indies (10).

2. Joe Root (England)

66 Test half-centuries
2012-present

I view Joe Root’s Test career as a ternary, and the three sections are based on the captains he played under. He made his debut and featured in 98 innings under Alastair Cook.

He began that phase with a 78 in his maiden Test innings and closed it with a single-digit score. However, he scored a half-century in his penultimate innings under Cook. He recorded 27 half-centuries in that period.

The second phase was when he had the reins. Root hauled in 14 centuries and 26 half-centuries in 118 innings, but he also had too many low scores; that made his average regress to less than 50. That was the only time he had a sub-50 average in Test cricket.

The third phase is the resurgence under Ben Stokes. Root has scored 10 centuries and 12 fifties while boasting an average of 52. This stage of his career is ongoing, and it is the phase in which he is coming for all records.

The England star is only two half-centuries away from matching Tendulkar’s long-standing 68.

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3. Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies)

66 Test half-centuries
1994-2015

Chanderpaul, with his unorthodox stance at the crease, was the glue to the West Indies’ middle order for 21 years. He came in at number five, a position he stubbornly held on to with moderate success.

He was so comfortable in that slot that he scored most of his centuries and half-centuries from there. He made 19 centuries and 35 half-centuries from there.

By teams, Chanderpaul was prolific against England (16), Australia (11), and India (10). The West Indies star began his career with four half-centuries in successive Tests against England in 1994.

However, 21 years of Test cricket had taken such a toll that he could not repeat that feat in his final four matches, managing only a single half-century, before a barren run in his next six innings.

4. Allan Border (Australia)

63 Test half-centuries
1974-1994

According to legend, Allan Border paired limited talent, three good shots, and a fanatical zeal about protecting his wicket into one of the most outstanding Test careers in Australian cricket.

The former Australian captain plied his trade anywhere from numbers three to six, and made cameos at number seven and eight in eight innings.

Border enjoyed success against England, whom he faced in 82 innings for an average of 56. The Australian scored 21 of his 63 half-centuries against them. The West Indies were the only other team he scored more than 10 half-centuries against, with a tally of 14.

5. Rahul Dravid (India)

63 Test half-centuries
1996-2012

Dravid made 10524 runs at number three, and that’s also the position where he made 50 of his 63 half-centuries.

He also scored 735 and 957 runs at numbers two and four, where he made a combined seven half-tons, and then collected a few more half-tons from numbers five, six, and seven.

The Wall, as he is known, began his career with back-to-back half-centuries. A 95 and an 84 against England in 1996. Sadly, Dravid did not end his Test career in equally spectacular fashion. He failed to reach 50 in his last three Tests.

6. Ricky Ponting (Australia)

62 Test half-centuries
1995-2012

Rod Marsh saw the future of Australian cricket when he watched 17-year-old Ponting play for Tasmania. The retired legend probably saw Ponting execute his trademark pull as he dispatched a short ball to the boundary.

Marsh proclaimed him as the best teenager he had ever watched, and the co-sign must have played a part in Ponting’s international debut two years later.

Ponting seized the opportunity with both hands, smashing back-to-back half-centuries in his first two appearances at the crease. He scored 96 and 71 against Sri Lanka.

Seventeen years later, Ponting had added 60 more half-centuries for a total of 62 half-tons. He registered his last 50 in the final match of his penultimate series, a second-innings 57 against the West Indies.

7. Jacques Kallis (South Africa)

58 Test half-centuries
1995-2013

Only a handful of global batting lists are complete without Jacques Kallis. The South Africa star approached his game in the same manner as Allan Border; he put an extremely high price on his wicket.

While batted from number three to seven, and then featured at nine once, Kallis’ preferred spot was at four.

He scored over 9000 runs in that position and amassed 36 half-centuries there. His next favourite slot was number three, where he made 18 fifties. The South African star scored most of his half-centuries against Australia (10) and the West Indies (12).

Most Test 50s – top 7 summary list

1. Sachin Tendulkar (India): 68
2. Joe Root (England): 66
3. Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies): 66
4. Allan Border (Australia): 63
5. Rahul Dravid (India): 63
6. Ricky Ponting (Australia): 62
7. Jacques Kallis (South Africa): 58