Pakistan vs England: Joe Root and Harry Brook set Multan ablaze

Joe Root sees no stopping in his quest to emerge as the greatest batter in the purest format of the game. Batting in the first Pakistan vs England Test on the Multan track, Root smashed his sixth double ton. Joe Root, along with Harry Brook, ripped apart the hosts with their onslaught on the "Multan Expressway." The slaughter began on Day 3 of the Test as Root and Brook smashed their respective tons against Pakistan. The pitch, offering little to nothing to the bowlers, presented the best chance for the English batters to register their names in the record books.

Joe Root trumps record charts with double ton in the first Pakistan vs England Test

Joe Root, who is now the highest run scorer for England in Tests after overtaking Alastair Cook in the list on Wednesday, continued his red-hot form on Day 4 of the Pakistan vs England Test. The resilient attack by the English batters left Pakistan bowling attack clueless at their own track. Luck played in Root’s favour when Babar Azam dropped him at the score of 186 early on Day 4. Root picked on the cue as the 33-year-old went on to notch up his 6th Test double century. Joe Root has been toying with the record charts in 2024, and the ongoing Pakistan vs England Test played no different.

With this double ton, Root left Alastair Cook behind in the list of English batters with most Test double hundreds to his name. The 33-year-old is now the second-highest in the list after Walter Hammond who has 7 double tons to his name. Moreover, with his 262-run stand against Pakistan, Root also became the first English batter to score 20,000 international runs. Overall, Root became only the second active batter after Virat Kohli to notch the tally across formats. The ongoing season is faring better than anticipated for the seasoned English star. Earlier this year, Joe Root took over Cook in the list of English batters with most hundreds for the team during the Sri Lanka Tour of England. Now, Root has toppled multiple records of the former English skipper during the first Pakistan vs England Test. 

On Day 3, Joe Root emerged as the highest run scorer for England in Test cricket after he smashed the tally of 12,472 runs registered by Cook. The former English skipper, noted as one of the greatest English players ever, attained the run tally in 161 matches. Cook, on the other hand, took only 147 matches to shuffle the record book. Cook with his outing against Pakistan has refuelled the discussions of whether he can overtake Sachin Tendulkar.

The legendary Indian batter is the highest run scorer in Test cricket with 15, 921 runs to his name. Root, meanwhile, is placed fifth in the list currently, behind Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, and Rahul Dravid. Moreover, scoring his 35th Test Hundred on Tuesday during the first England vs Pakistan match, Root is just one Test ton away from overtaking Rahul Dravid in the list of most Test hundreds scored.

England vs Pakistan Test: Maiden triple ton for Harry Brook in Multan

Harry Brook has been testing his skills for England across formats and stepped in as the interim captain of the team in the Australia T20I series. However, the young batter is arguably at his best when in whites for England. As Joe Root continued to conquer the record charts, Harry Brook left no stones unturned to be a part of the historic procession. The 25-year-old batter went a step ahead of Root in the first Pakistan vs England Test, as he scored his maiden Test triple hundred. 

The 25-year-old, who continues to shine at the international level, reached the milestone with a boundary off spinner Saim Ayub. The young prodigy, subsequently, became only the sixth English cricketer to notch a triple ton in Test matches. His impressive 300 came from just 310 balls, including 28 fours and three sixes, propelling England to a dominant position in the game. Brook was eventually dismissed for 317 after facing only 322 deliveries.

In achieving this feat, Brook surpassed Virender Sehwag's 20-year-old record at Multan, where the former Indian batsman scored 309 against Pakistan. Until Thursday, Sehwag's innings was the highest individual score at the venue and the only triple century there. Moreover, his performance in Multan places him alongside English greats like Andy Sandham, Len Hutton, Wally Hammond, Graham Gooch, and Bill Edrich, all of whom have also achieved the prestigious 300-run milestone in Test cricket.

England declared the innings at the score of 823 with a lead of 267 over the hosts. Pakistan, in response to the challenging run-stand has already lost 5 wickets at the score of 59. Skipper Shan Masood who hit a century in the first innings departed at the paltry score of 11. Moreover, another centurion from the opening innings fell at a golden duck against Chris Woakes. Babar Azam continues his string of disappointments as he managed just 5 runs.