Multan, October 10
It was record breaking left and right during day four of the first Test against Pakistan at Multan as batters Harry Brook and Joe Root starred with a 454-run partnership, breaking 67-year-old record for the highest partnership by an English pair.
In their first innings, England scored 823/7 declared in reply to Pakistan's first innings total of 556 runs, taking a 267-run lead on a batting paradise. This is the fourth-highest total ever in the history of Test cricket, with 952/6 declared by Sri Lanka against India in 1997 at Colombo being the biggest Test total ever, in which Sanath Jayasuriya starred with 340-run knock. It is also the highest total by a visiting team in Pakistan surpassing 675/5d by India vs Pakistan in Multan in 2004.
The next two biggest totals are also owned by England: 903/7 against Australia at The Oval in 1938 and 849 against West Indies at Kingston in 1930.
In their 454-run partnership, Root (262 in 375 balls, with 17 fours) and Brook (317 in 322 balls, with 29 fours and three sixes) broke multiple records.
The run rate of 5.48 by England is the highest in 700-plus team total in a Test innings.
Root became the first-ever England player to hit 20,000 international runs. In 350 matches, he has scored 20,079 runs at an average of 49.21, with 51 centuries and 108 fifties. His best score is 262*. Most of his runs have come in Test cricket, having made 12,664 runs at an average of 51.47, with 35 centuries and 64 fifties in 147 matches and 268 innings. He is England's leading-run-scorer in Test cricket and the fifth-highest overall. In 171 ODIs, he has scored 6,522 runs at an average of 47.60, with 16 centuries and 39 fifties. His best score is 133*. In 32 T20Is, he has made 893 runs at an average of 35.72, with a strike rate of over 126 and five fifties. His best score is 90*.
The in-form batter also joined Virat Kohli (27,041 runs and 80 Centuries) as the only active player with both 20,000-plus international runs and 50 or more international tons.
Root's double century was also a fine milestone in its own ways. Root etched his name on the elite list and equalled former South African cricketer Graeme Smith's record of four double centuries away from home. Both Root and Smith have slammed four double hundreds away from home.
Legendary batters Don Bradman, Brian Lara, and Kumar Sangakkara hold the top spot on the chary with five double centuries on away soil.
Root also became the batter to hit the second-most double hundreds for the Three Lions. The 33-year-old has smashed six two-hundreds for England. The right-handed batter leapfrogged Alastair Cook's five double centuries to achieve the milestone. Former cricketer Wally Hammond holds the top spot on the chart with seven double-hundreds.
Legendary Australian batter has highest number of Test double tons overall, with 12.
England batter Root also became the first visiting batter in Asia to score a double hundred in each of India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Brook's triple century came in 310 balls, which is the fastest by an English batter and overall second-fastest, next to Indian great Virender Sehwag's triple ton in 278 balls against South Africa in 2008 at Chennai.
With this knock, he became the sixth batter to achieve this feat for the Three Lions side. The other English batters to score a triple century were Leonard Hutton (364 vs Australia in 1938), Wally Hammond (336* vs New Zealand in 1933), Graham Gooch (333 vs India in 1990), Andy Sandham (325 vs West Indies in 1930), and John Endrich (310* vs New Zealand in 1965).
With this innings, Brook also became the fifth batter to score a triple century against Pakistan after Garry Sobers of West Indies (365* in 1958), David Warner of Australia (335* in 2019), Mark Taylor of Australia (334* in 1998), and Virender Sehwag of India (309 in 2004).
The partnership of 454 runs between Brook and Root is England's highest partnership in Tests, breaking the record established by Colin Cowdrey and Peter May against West Indies in 1957, with 411 runs. It is also the biggest partnership against Pakistan in Tests, outdoing West Indies' Conrad Hunte and Garry Sobers' 446 runs partnership back in 1958.
This partnership is also the fourth-highest partnership in Test cricket, with the biggest one being a 624 run stand between Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara for Sri Lanka against South Africa in 2006 at Colombo.
Also, Brook's triple ton and Joe Root's double ton is only third instance of two players scoring 250-plus runs in the same Test innings, with (West Indies' Conrad Hunte (260) & Garry Sobers (365) vs Pakistan, 1958) and Sri Lanka's Jayawardene (374) and Sangakkara (287) against South Africa in 2006) being other two.
A total of 483 runs were scored on day four, the second-highest amount of runs scored during a day's play in Pakistan, with 506 runs on day one of first Test between England and Pakistan back in 2022 being the highest one.
Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first. It was centuries from Shan Masood (151 in 177 balls, with 13 fours and two sixes) and Abdullah Shafique (102 in 184 balls, with 12 fours) and a fifty from Saud Shakeel (82 in 177 balls with eight fours) that powered Pakistan to 556/10.
Jack Leach (3/160) was the pick of the bowlers for England. Brydon Carse and Gus Atnkinson also took two wickets each. Chris Woakes, Joe Root and Shoaib Bashir also got one each.
In the first innings, England was helped by quickfire fifties from Zak Crawley (78 in 85 balls, with 13 fours) and Ben Duckett (84 in 75 balls, with 11 fours). However, it was a humungous partnership of 454 runs between Joe Root (262 in 375 balls, with 17 fours) and Harry Brook (317 in 322 balls, with 29 fours and three sixes) that helped England exceed Pakistan's tally easily and end at 823/7 declared.
Pakistan ended day four on a dreadful note at 152/6, with Agha Salman (41*) and Aamer Jamal (27*) unbeaten, needing 115 more runs to avoid an innings defeat with a day left in the match.