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October 11, 2024
Twenty years after Virender Sehwag celebrated a magnificent triple century at Multan Stadium, Harry Brook made history by scoring 317 runs, becoming England’s sixth player to achieve this feat in Test cricket. He was supported by Joe Root, who scored 262 runs, marking his sixth double-century. Together, they propelled England to a remarkable total of 823 for 7, the fourth-highest in Test history. Despite putting up a strong first-innings score of 556 runs, Pakistan found themselves facing a significant deficit.
As England took to the field, the pressure mounted on the Pakistani batters, who struggled against the tricky conditions of the fourth-day pitch. Their batting faltered, and they quickly slipped to 152 for 6, marking their sixth consecutive Test defeat. By the time Ollie Pope declared England’s innings in the second session of play, Brook and Root had already established a psychological advantage over the Pakistani team. England’s aggressive batting style, averaging 5.48 runs per over, allowed them to score rapidly, shifting from 64 runs behind to 102 runs ahead by lunch.
Even though England faced just one more over than Pakistan did in their first innings, they managed to add 267 runs before their captain declared, feeling confident they had enough runs to secure victory. The combination of Brook’s exceptional performance and the pressure on the Pakistani side created a challenging situation, ultimately leading to a disappointing end for the hosts.
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During England’s impressive innings, numerous batting records were broken, particularly highlighting the remarkable 454-run partnership between Joe Root and Harry Brook. This partnership is the fourth-highest in Test history and the highest ever against Pakistan. Pakistan had a chance to halt their progress early in the morning when Babar Azam dropped a simple catch at mid-wicket while Root was on 186. Afterward, Root hit one of his 17 boundaries and quickly reached his double century, just one behind Wally Hammond’s England record of seven double centuries.
Root surpassed his best score of 254 before his innings ended at 375 balls when Agha Salman bowled him with a low delivery. At that point, England had scored 703 runs, leading by 147. Meanwhile, Brook calmly progressed from his overnight score of 144 to achieve his first-class double-century by guiding Naseem Shah to the fielder in the deep on his 245th ball. His next hundred came rapidly, off just 65 additional balls, as England approached their declaration. Brook hit 29 fours and cleared the boundary three times, including a stunning six over extra cover against Naseem Shah, which brought him into the 290s. He reached his triple century with a powerful shot down the ground off part-timer Saim Ayub, doing so in just 310 balls—making him the second-fastest player to achieve this milestone after Virender Sehwag’s record in Chennai against South Africa.
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Shortly after Harry Brook was dismissed, Ollie Pope declared England’s innings, giving his bowlers a chance to dominate a weary Pakistani team. Pakistan struggled, with six bowlers each conceding over 100 runs, including lead spinner Abrar Ahmed, who missed Day 4 due to hospitalization with a fever. To make matters worse, Pakistan lost a wicket on the very first ball of their second innings.
First-innings centurion Abdullah Shafique fell to Chris Woakes, who delivered a ball that swung away and clipped the off stump. After the tea break, Gus Atkinson quickly dismissed Shan Masood and Babar Azam. Masood, who had been living dangerously, edged a ball to mid-wicket. Babar’s streak of failing to reach 50 extended to 18 innings when he nicked a delivery outside off-stump. Saim Ayub attempted a big shot against Brydon Carse. Still, he gave a catch to extra cover, leaving Pakistan in deep trouble at 41 for 4.
The situation worsened as Carse bowled Mohammad Rizwan, making it 59 for 5. Saud Shakeel fought back with four boundaries in his quick 29 runs but was caught behind off Jack Leach, putting Pakistan at risk of losing the Test in just four days. Agha Salman and Aamer Jamal survived the final 12 overs, batting positively to delay the inevitable.
Brief scores: Pakistan 556 & 152/6 (Agha Salman 41; Gus Atkinson 2-28) trail England 823/7 declared (Harry Brook 317, Joe Root 262; Naseem Shah 2-157) by 115 runs.
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