Joe Root went past Alastair Cook as England’s highest Test run scorer with an unconquered hundred against Pakistan, anchoring his team to 492-3 in the first Test in Multan on Wednesday.
The 33-year-old overhauled Cook’s aggregate of 12,472 runs and became the fifth-highest scorer of all time after he drove seamer Aamer Jamal for a straight boundary to reach 71 just before lunch.
Root was still batting on 176 at the close on day three with his partner Harry Brook on 141 not out, taking England within 64 runs of Pakistan’s first innings total of 556.
The pair added 243 runs for the unbroken fourth wicket, rebuffing Pakistan’s bowling attack on a lifeless pitch that had punished England’s bowlers on the first two days.
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Root’s memorable 481-minute knock includes 12 boundaries. Brook amassed the same number and added a six despite suffering cramps.
In the second session he reverse swept spinner Abrar Ahmed for a single to reach his 35th Test hundred — the sixth most by any batsman — before going to the interval on an imperious 119 not out.
Harry Brook scored his 10th Test half century and was 64 not out, leaving England 205 behind Pakistan’s first innings total of 556. Root has so far notched eight fours to Brook’s seven.
Root and Brook’s fourth-wicket stand has so far yielded 102 runs as a flat Multan stadium pitch continued to give no assistance to the bowlers.
Root added 136 for the third wicket with Ben Duckett who made a robust 84 with 11 boundaries, showing no effect of a thumb dislocation on Tuesday that forced him to bat at number four.
Duckett was the only man dismissed in the post-lunch session, trapped leg-before by seamer Aamer Jamal after hitting 11 boundaries.
All three Pakistan fast bowlers, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Jamal have taken one wicket each.
It was a day to remember for Root, who took 268 innings and 147 Tests to go past his former captain Cook’s total of 12,472 runs from 161 Tests in a glorious career that ended in 2018.
Root also added 109 for the second wicket with Zak Crawley, who hit 13 fours in an 85-ball 78 but departed early on the third morning.
In the fourth over, Crawley failed to keep a flick down off pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi and was caught at the second attempt by Jamal at mid-wicket.
Duckett started with trademark aggression, taking five boundaries off spinner Abrar and completing his 10th Test half-century off just 45 balls.
It enabled Root to accumulate steadily at the other end as he brought up his 65th Test fifty off 76 balls before being applauded by a handful of England fans and teammates in the dressing room when he broke Cook’s record.
The all-time list is headed by India’s Sachin Tendulkar with 15,921 from 200 matches.
Cook tipped Root to eclipse Tendulkar’s mark.
“I can see him overhauling Sachin Tendulkar’s record,” the former England opening batsman said during commentary on BBC radio.
“You could say Sachin is still the favourite but just.
“I don’t see that happening for Root to lose that hunger and ability to keep driving himself forward for the next couple of years. “
