England declared their first innings at an imposing 823-7, gaining a 267-run lead against Pakistan on the fourth day of the opening Test in Multan on Thursday.
Harry Brook delivered a stellar knock of 317, while Joe Root contributed 262, both recording their highest Test scores on the flat Multan pitch. England’s monumental total marks only the second instance in history where a team has surpassed 700 runs in a Test match against Pakistan. The previous record was set by the West Indies, who scored 790-3 against Pakistan in 1958.
Earlier in the day, Root and Brook propelled England far beyond Pakistan’s first-innings total of 556. Root also became the first English player to achieve 20,000 international runs. His innings was boosted when Babar Azam dropped a straightforward catch at mid-wicket, allowing Root to complete his sixth double century. Root's milestone placed him ahead of Alastair Cook on England's list of Test run-scorers, with only Wally Hammond having more double centuries (seven).
In Pakistan’s second innings, opener Abdullah Shafique was dismissed for a duck on the first ball by Chris Woakes, giving the visitors an early breakthrough. Captain Shan Masood (10*) and opener Saim Ayub (13*) were at the crease as Pakistan reached 23-1, trailing by 244 runs.
Playing XI
Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmad
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (captain), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir