Off the fourth ball of the tenth over of England's innings, Joe Root worked a pretty uneventful single off Jason Holder, for the 20th run of his 79-ball 84. The run was mundane, but it had much significance: it was his 1278th international run of the home season, making him the most prolific run-getter in international matches in an English summer.
Root, in having scored that single, went past Graham Gooch, who played only 15 innings in 10 matches in 1990, when he scored 1277, compared to Root's 24 this season. Gooch's body of work that season included the mammoth 333 against India at Lord's, which remains the third-highest Test score in England.
The top ten on the list of most runs in England during an international season consists entirely of England batsmen, with the only overseas player in the top 17 being Sir Viv Richards, who scored 1045 runs from only 10 innings in a sensational 1976 season.
The top ten is also made up almost entirely of specialist batsmen; the only exception being Andrew Flintoff, in fifth place. Flintoff had a terrific year in 2004, scoring 1115 runs from only 20 innings, including 512 in nine ODIs.
Root's strength this home season has been his consistency in both Tests and ODIs. In 12 innings in Tests, he averages 60.75, with seven 50-plus scores, while in ODIs he has done even better, averaging 66.22 in 11 innings, with five 50-plus knocks. Root's 12 fifty-plus scores is also a record in England, bettering Flintoff's 11 in 2004.
Root has also become only the second player, after Marcus Trescothick, to go past 1000 international runs three times in an English season. Root had previously scored 1069 runs in 2014, and 1050 runs in 2016. Trescothick went past 1000 in each of the three years from 2003 to 2005. Given Root's age, form, consistency, and the packed cricket calendar these days, expect him to achieve this feat many more times through the remainder of his international career.