To say it has been a busy week for the Root family is a bit of an understatement.

While one son was celebrating one of the most special occasions of his life by getting married in Wales, the other was out breaking national cricket records.

AFPRoot took his Test run total to 12,578 runs out in Multan[/caption]

Already a national hero, Joe Root etched his name into the history books as England cruised to victory over Pakistan in their first Test against Pakistan.

Root surpassed Sir Alastair Cook’s total of 12,472 career Test runs to become England Men‘s highest ever Test run-scorer.

Not to mention, he also teamed up with Harry Brook to break the record for the side’s highest Test partnership as they combined for a stunning 454 runs.

Only four men in the world have racked up more Test match runs in their career, with Sachin Tendulkar topping the list with 15,921 runs.

At the age of 33, one would not bet against Root toppling even more records in the next few years.

And someone who has been witness to the all-rounder’s sensational journey from day one, is his proud father Matt.

Matt joined talkSPORT Breakfast to reflect on what will no doubt go down as one of the most memorable weeks of his life.

Still down in South Wales celebrating the wedding of his younger son, Billy, he explained how he had shared in the happiness of both of his children in one special day.

“No, we were able to do both!” he told talkSPORT, when asked if the cricket and the marriage had clashed timing-wise.

“I mean, fortunately it’s in Pakistan, so we’re up at six o’clock watching the cricket,” he said. “And it all got finished before the wedding at four.”

GettyRoot may have missed his brother’s wedding – but he certainly added to the joyful occasion for the whole family[/caption]

For the Roots, cricket clearly runs in the family.

Billy Root has also made a career of the sport, playing for Glamorgan since 2018.

And the brothers’ love of the sport can be traced back to their father who was also an amateur cricketer.

Matt remembered how having introduced Root to cricket at a young age, it was not long before his talent began to shine through.

“It was quite early on (that I passed him onto professional coaches),” he said. “I think he got a Yorkshire Academy contract at 13.

“I think he was the youngest player ever to get an Academy contract or a scholarship at 13. And they sort of handed him over to the batting coach at the time.

“It was Kevin Sharp at Yorkshire. And he took it from there.”

But the Sheffield-born cricketer has not always had a smooth ride when it comes to his career.

Root had been appointed as England men’s Test captain back in 2017 and he spent five years in the role, during which the side won just over 42 per cent of their matches.

No other captain had topped the 27 victories he oversaw – but his spell as skipper ended with a difficult defeat in the 2021-2022 Ashes series.

And in 2022, he made the decision to step down from the position, still remaining a valuable part of the England set-up.

GettyRoot and Brook spearheaded the side to victory by helping to set an unassailable target[/caption]

GettyTheir partnership of 454 was the highest ever for England’s batters – beating the 411 set by Colin Cowdrey and Peter May 57 years ago[/caption]

Since then, he seems to have flourished and his father was asked whether relinquishing the position of captain had helped him to get to the levels he is reaching now.

“It’s difficult to say,” Matt admitted. “Because when he was captain, he once scored 1,400 runs in a year, which I think is the third highest in history. So it didn’t really affect his performance.

“But certainly as a person, he seems a lot more relaxed now. I’m not saying he didn’t enjoy playing cricket as captain, but he’s certainly got a big smile on his face again now, which he didn’t really have when he was captain of the side.”

Matt went on to explain the differences between being a cricket captain and a football captain, identifying how the former position often asked a lot more of a person during a match.

“The cricket captain is involved on the pitch in all the decisions that are made,” he said. “You know, when to change the bowling – he has a lot of say in the strategic part of the game.

“I know Ben Stokes has a big say in how the team plays. So there’s a lot more to it in cricket for sure.”

With Root continuing to stun the cricketing world almost 12 years after he made his Test debut, his determination and mental resilience has been praised by many.

And did he always have that remarkable attitude to the sport?

Root took the England record from Sir Alastair Cook, who retired after a stellar career in 2023Getty

Could he beat Tendulkar’s fantastic global record in the next few years?

“Yeah, he did,” his father recalled. “He’d always want to bat.

“So let’s say we had a net session, a club net night on a Thursday night. It starts at six, finishes at eight before it gets dark.

“We’re in the bar having a couple of pints and Joe would still be out in the nets. Whenever someone would throw a ball at him, he’d be there batting.

“He just always wants to bat. He’s never been any different.”