PAK vs ENG : Joe Root’s 35th Test century & Harry Brook’s Successive 4th Test Ton In Pakistan Gives England A Solid Advantage On Day 3

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England cricket team star batter Joe Root scripted history by achieving a mammoth feat on Day 2 of the first Test match against Pakistan in Multan on Tuesday. Joe Root became the first batter in history to score 5000 runs in the World Test Championship (WTC) as he slammed 32 off 54 deliveries with the help of two fours.

Joe Root came into the match needing 27 runs to achieve the huge feat and he now has 5005 runs in 59 matches. Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne is second with 3904 runs while his compatriot Steve Smith occupies the third spot with 3484 runs.

Joe Root, who has been tipped to go past Sachin’s tally in red-ball cricket, returned to the dressing room after crossing 1,000 Test runs in 2024. This was the fifth calendar year when the 33-year-old managed to cross the 1,000-run mark in Test cricket. He just needs to put up another calendar year where he hits the 1,000 Test runs mark to go level with ‘Master Blaster’ Sachin Tendulkar.

Sachin currently sits at the summit with a whopping tally of six calendar years in which he garnered 1000-plus Test runs. With a tally of five, Joe Root is now level with Brian Lara, Matthew Hayden, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara and Alastair Cook for scoring 1000-plus Test runs in most calendar years.

Day 3 : Morning Session : Milestone man Joe Root leads England’s charge in the morning session

Milestone man Joe Root and Ben Duckett led England’s charge in the opening Test against Pakistan as the visitors smashed 136 runs in just 25 overs by Lunch to reduce the deficit to 324. The session turned out to be very memorable for Joe Root in particular as he went past Alastair Cook to become England’s leading run getter in Tests.

The session kickstarted with Zak Crawley sending an early statement, continuing from where he had left as he drove Shaheen Afridi through the covers. But Pakistan’s leading quick eventually got his man as the batter hit one straight at midwicket to depart for a well-made 85. Duckett then walked out to bat, having not opened the innings the previous day due to a thumb injury. He showed no signs of discomfort and got going straightaway to put Pakistan on the backfoot.

The left-hander hit Abrar Ahmed for two back-to-back boundaries and then targeted him again for three boundaries in an over to race to 34 off just 26. Root then found the boundary off Naseem Shah and eventually helped himself to a half-century just before the drinks break. Duckett too brought up his landmark shortly after to enhance his record against Pakistan further. The home side kept ringing in the changes but to no avail as England kept the bowling attack at bay.

The Pakistani pacers did find some reverse swing at one point and there were signs of encouragement too when Aamer Jamal got one to hit Joe Root on the pads. But ball-tracking confirmed that it would have anyway missed the stumps.

In the same over, Joe Root played a delightful drive that took him past Cook’s tally which has now ensured that there are only four more players in the history of the game ahead of him in the overall list. With over 300 runs still to play with, Pakistan will be hoping for reverse swing to sway the game in the post-lunch session.

Indeed Crawley and Duckett should have got three figures themselves. But within the first hour of play, Crawley flicked uppishly across a full-length delivery from Shaheen Shah Afridi and picked out Aamer Jamal at midwicket. Jamal’s second catch of the innings wasn’t a patch on the screamer with which he had dismissed Pope on the second evening, however. The ball looped straight to him, and he all but dropped it before scooping it up at the second attempt.

Either way, Crawley was gone for his sixth score between 60 and 80 this year. Duckett strode in at No. 4 and motored on, showing no ill-effects from a thumb injury that prevented him from opening the batting. He had one life on 37, when Naseem Shah found his outside edge only for the ball to bisect keeper and a wide first slip.

But with the ball reversing enough for Jamal to trap the left-hand batter on the crease from around the wicket, Duckett was dismissed for the fourth time between 70 and 90 since his third Test hundred back in February, against India in Rajkot.

Day 3 : Post Lunch Session : Joe Root’s 35th ton headlines another dominant session for England

Yet another session in series-opening Multan Test match belonged to the batters as England continued to pile on the runs. Joe Root, who had gone past Alastair Cook to become England’s highest run-scorer in Tests, managed to bring up his 35th ton in Test cricket and Harry Brook joined in after Ben Duckett’s departure as the visitors made 119 runs in the post-lunch session to bring the deficit down to 205.

Joe Root continued in the afternoon from where he had left before lunch as he fetched a boundary in the opening over of the session. However, Pakistan found success quite early as the dangerous Duckett was sent back. Duckett, who had come down to bat at No.4 after an injury, flayed the bowling attack in the morning session but was dismissed 16 short of a ton. His wicket didn’t bring much relief though for Pakistan as Brook signaled his intentions with a boundary off just the second ball he had faced.

Brook went on the offensive and collected boundaries to race to 21 off just 15. The proceedings were very similar to that of the morning session where the new batter, after an early wicket, dominated proceedings straightaway. Shaheen Afridi’s introduction didn’t help matters either as Brook pummelled him for three boundaries before Joe Root added one more off the left-arm pacer to inch closer to his century.

While Brook brought up his fifty off just 49 balls, Joe Root reached his big landmark in the following over. With that 35th ton, the former England skipper is now behind only five batters in that prestigious list. Pakistan’s attempts to break the century stand proved to be futile as the two batters comfortably batted out the final few overs before the break. Even though Pakistan still hold a lead of over 200 runs, the rate at which England are going should be a cause for concern especially with the visitors still having seven wickets in hand.

As it happens, this is Joe Root’s first on these shores. And it has come after spending all day at the crease – he was the last England batter to achieve that feat, against Sri Lanka in Galle three years ago – meaning he has been absent for just eight deliveries of the 250 overs of this match so far.

No wonder he struggled with cramps for the last half of the day. Having come to the crease on Tuesday following the dismissal of stand-in skipper Ollie Pope with just four on the board, resuming on Wednesday with England 96 for 1, he will mark his guard with 176 against his name on Thursday morning with his side holding all the aces.

As it has been for most of the last 12 years in English cricket, Joe Root was the glue throughout. Starting day three with 32 to his name, he made the final ascent to the top of the England run-scorers’ pile 15 minutes before lunch when, on 67, he leaned into another compact drive for four to march along to 12,473 career runs, overtaking Cook as England’s most prolific Test batter, and the fifth overall, behind only Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid.

Joe Root was always going to mark the occasion with three figures, especially on a pitch that remains interminably dull, with just two wickets falling all day, and none in the final session. He moved to a crisp 100 with a reverse sweep off his 167th ball for a fifth century in 2024. It was the third time he has struck as many in a calendar year, after 2021 and 2022. Only Ricky Ponting (four) and Matthew Hayden (four) scored five or more Test centuries in more calendar years.

Joe Root was finding matters so easy that he even took to batting left-handed against leg spinner Abrar Ahmed, who was hiding the ball outside leg stump as much to slow the game down as to protect himself.

Two years after marking his Test debut with 11 wickets against England at this very ground, he currently nurses grim figures of 0 for 174 from 35 overs. That Joe Root only struck one of his fours off Abrar – a full toss dispatched through midwicket off the opening ball of the 92nd over of the innings – spoke to the punishment meted out by Crawley, Duckett and, latterly, Brook.

Day 3 : Afternoon Session : Joe Root’s 35th Test century and Harry Brook’s successive ton in Pakistan sums up England’s dominance

Joe Root got his 35th Test ton and became England’s all-time leading run-getter in Test cricket on yet another day filled with runs in Multan. He was aided in that pursuit by Harry Brook (141*) and Ben Duckett (84) in England’s strong reply to Pakistan’s 556. They ended the third day, trailing only by 64.

Brook got his fourth Test ton in as many Tests in Pakistan in the final session to join the milestones party set by Joe Root through the course of the day. The duo put Pakistan’s attack to the sword over the final two sessions with 141 in the last being the most prolific period of batting. Their unbeaten stand worth 243, the highest for any wicket for England in Pakistan, proved to be an unshakeable roadblock for Pakistan’s bowlers who toiled hard but to no avail.

Brook had a slice of luck on 75 when he nearly chopped on off Aamer Jamal but without the bails being dislodged. Joe Root had an LBW review overturned in the final session but such shouts were few and far between on a day dominated by the bat.

Just before the second new ball was taken in the final session, Brook brought up his ton – his sixth in Tests – of just 118 balls even as Joe Root neared his 150. With that milestone crossed, Joe Root began to go through a period of caution even as Brook raced away against the newer ball which didn’t make much of a difference for the bowlers’ plight. It was a continuation of what had transpired over the previous sessions.

The day had kickstarted with Zak Crawley sending an early statement, continuing from where he had left as he drove Shaheen Afridi through the covers. But Pakistan’s leading quick eventually got his man as the batter hit one straight at midwicket to depart for a well-made 85. Duckett then walked out to bat, having not opened the innings the previous day due to a thumb injury. He showed no signs of discomfort and got going straightaway to put Pakistan on the backfoot.

The left-hander hit Abrar Ahmed for two back-to-back boundaries and then targeted him again for three boundaries in an over to race to 34 off just 26. Joe Root then found the boundary off Naseem Shah and eventually helped himself to a half-century just before the drinks break. Duckett too brought up his landmark shortly after to enhance his record against Pakistan further. The home side kept ringing in the changes but to no avail as England kept the bowling attack at bay.

The Pakistani pacers did find some reverse swing at one point and there were signs of encouragement too when Aamer Jamal got one to hit Joe Root on the pads. But ball-tracking confirmed that it would have anyway missed the stumps. In the same over, Joe Root played a delightful drive that took him past Cook’s tally which has now ensured that there are only four more players in the history of the game ahead of him in the overall list.

Root continued in the afternoon from where he had left before lunch as he fetched a boundary in the opening over of the session. However, Pakistan found success quite early as the dangerous Duckett was sent back, 16 short of his ton. His wicket didn’t bring much relief though for Pakistan as Brook signaled his intentions with a boundary off just the second ball he had faced.

Brook went on the offensive and collected boundaries to race to 21 off just 15. The proceedings were very similar to that of the morning session where the new batter, after an early wicket, dominated proceedings straightaway. Shaheen’s introduction didn’t help matters either as Brook pummelled him for three boundaries before Root added one more off the left-arm pacer to inch closer to his century.

While Brook brought up his fifty off just 49 balls, Joe Root reached his big landmark in the following over. With that 35th ton, the former England skipper is now behind only five batters in that prestigious list. Pakistan’s attempts to break the stand proved to be futile as the two batters comfortably batted to see England through the third day.

Brook, however, naturally assumed the mantle of aggressor immediately upon his arrival with the score 249 for 3. It was on the previous Pakistan tour that Brook announced himself to the world with 468 runs at 93.60, with centuries in all three Tests. A guided four to third from his second delivery showed he was back to inflict more upon the hosts two years on.

Despite a hint of reverse swing on offer – first with Jamal, then Afridi – Brook’s speed out of the blocks could not be tempered. Afridi felt the full force of that when a short delivery was smashed back down the ground like a tennis forehand for the first of consecutive boundaries. Brook made it to his half-century in 49 deliveries, his fifth 50-plus score in six innings against Pakistan.

Brook’s next fifty took a little longer – 69 balls – in part because the field was spread, the bowling lines negative, and his own battles with cramp, which meant neither he nor Root could push for singles or fully commit to attacking strokes that required extra stretching. But having consumed plenty of gels and isotonic drinks, he struck Abrar down the ground in the 83rd over for the first six of the innings, which took him to 98. A misfield for two cut to point brought up his sixth career century.

He could have been on his way back on 75 when a block off the impressive Jamal – comfortably the pick of the bowlers – ricocheted off his grille and rolled on to his stumps without dislodging the bails.

Joe Root, similarly, could have been seen off on 168 had umpire Kumar Dharmasena raised the finger following a strong lbw shout from Naseem, after rare seam movement pinned the batter in front with the second new ball. Shan Masood opted to use Pakistan’s last review to double-check, which was retained after DRS came back with an umpire’s call on the impact into leg stump.

It summed up a torturous time for Pakistan, who conceded 4.83 an over across today’s 82 overs, watching on powerlessly as their opening effort was made to feel under par. With a night’s rest for Root and Brook, and Jamie Smith waiting in the wings, a first innings lead of note feels inevitable.

Day 4 ahead for Pakistan and England

A dominating reply from England’s batters sees them trail by just 64 runs. 81 overs | 396 runs | 2 wickets. Each and every batter that walked out to bat today went past fifty with Joe Root and Harry Brook converting theirs into big hundreds. Joe Root broke a few records today and one of them was going past Sir Alastair Cook as England’s leading run-getter in Tests.

Brook continued his love affair with Pakistan as he notched up his third hundred in as many innings here. The duo are currently involved in a 243-run partnership and are looking good to stretch that further. Pakistan picked a wicket each in the first two sessions but went wicketless in the third. For most parts of the day they seemed to be going through the motions as nothing was working.

Responding to Pakistan’s mammoth first-innings score of 556 after the best part of two days in the dirt was always going to require something special from England. Not only did they respond emphatically to end day three of this first Test on 492 for 3, trailing by just 64, but they did so in historic fashion.

Joe Root became England’s leading Test run-scorer, passing Sir Alastair Cook’s record of 12,473 runs on his way to a 35th Test hundred. It was typical Joe Root, unassuming and busy with just 12 fours, set against Harry Brook’s boisterous 141* from 173 deliveries, picking up where he left off from a Player-of-the-Series performance on the 2022 tour of Pakistan, with his fourth century against them in as many matches

As it happens, this is Joe Root’s first on these shores. And it has come after spending all day at the crease – he was the last England batter to achieve that feat, against Sri Lanka in Galle three years ago – meaning he has been absent for just eight deliveries of the 250 overs of this match so far.

The Yorkshire duo of  Joe Root and Brook combined for 243 (and counting), a third successive century stand in the innings after Zak Crawley’s 78 and Ben Duckett’s 84 provided the guts for 109- and 136-run stands for the second and third wickets, respectively.

Also Read: IND vs ENG: “Side Arm Specialists In India Need To Work Hard To Prepare Batters For Tough Times”- Abhishek Jain Gives His Invaluable Insights

 


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