Root, Rizwan lead cricket's elite batsmen in 2021 run-scoring race

Across the three formats of international cricket in 2021, a small constellation of batsmen rose above the ordinary, turning personal consistency into something approaching art. England's Joe Root rewrote the Test record books with 1,692 runs in a single calendar year, while Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan became the first batsman in history to surpass 1,000 T20 international runs in a calendar year — a feat that helped carry his nation to a historic World Cup victory over India. The year reminded the cricketing world that individual brilliance and collective triumph do not always travel together,