Multan: Joe Root and Harry Brook headlined England’s dominant reply on Day 3 of the opening Test against Pakistan at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Root (176) and Brook (141) powered England to 492 for 3 (101 overs) at Stumps on Day 3, just 64 runs behind Pakistan’s mammoth first-innings total of 556, which, remarkably, looks below-par on one of the flattest cricket pitches you’ll ever see.
The fourth-wicket partnership of 243 runs off 310 balls between Root and Brook deflated the Pakistani bowlers who only managed to pick two wickets on a toiling day.
The massive 243-run par partnership between Brook and Root is the highest for England on Pakistan soil, bettering the 233-run stand between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett for the first wicket in Rawalpindi two years ago.
Root and Brook also broke the record for the highest 4th wicket partnership for England against Pakistan, overtaking 233 runs added by Alastair Cook and Paul Collingwood at Lord’s in 2006.
England punish Pakistan to close in on the first-innings total
Despite losing Crawley for 74 early in the day, England continued with an aggressive template with Duckett, who couldn’t come to open on Day 2 due to a thumb injury, taking the attack to the opposition. Duckett (84) combined with Root to stitch a 136-run stand in just 154 balls to lay the platform for a big total.
During the dominating period, Root surpassed Alastair Cook as the leading run-getter for England in Tests before surpassing iconic players such as Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara, Mahela Jayawardene and Younis Khan after completing his 35th Test century.
Brook didn’t take too long before dominating the Pakistani attack, which had no answers to the brilliance of the prolific duo. Brook reached his sixth century in the final session and, in the process, became the first batter to score a hundred in four consecutive Tests on Pakistan soil.
England, who scored 396 runs for the loss of two wickets in 81 overs on Day 3, are primed to pile more misery on the Pakistani bowlers on Day 4.
PAK vs ENG: Joe Root and Harry Brook stitched a record-breaking partnership as England scored close to 400 runs on Day 3 of the first Test against Pakistan in Multan. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
