October 11, 2024

Root and Brook lead England’s charge in a batting fest

Joe Root scored his 35th Test century, becoming England’s all-time leading run-scorer in Test cricket during a high-scoring day in Multan. He received strong support from Harry Brook, who finished with 141 not out, and Ben Duckett, who contributed 84 runs. England ended the third day trailing by just 64 runs after responding to Pakistan’s impressive total of 556.

In the last session of play, Brook achieved his fourth Test century in as many matches, adding to the milestones set by Root throughout the day. Together, they dominated Pakistan’s bowling attack, especially during the final two sessions, scoring 141 runs in the most productive phase of batting. Their unbeaten partnership of 243 is the highest for any wicket by England in Pakistan, proving to be a significant obstacle for the Pakistani bowlers, who struggled to make an impact. Brook had a moment of luck when he was on 75, nearly getting out to Aamer Jamal, but the bails remained intact. Root also had an LBW review overturned in the final session, although there were few close calls on a day largely controlled by the bat.

Before the second new ball was introduced, Brook reached his century off just 118 balls, while Root was closing in on 150. Once Root reached that milestone, he adopted a more cautious approach, allowing Brook to continue scoring freely against the new ball, which didn’t improve the bowlers’ fortunes. The day’s play reflected a continuation of the dominant batting display seen earlier.

The day began with Zak Crawley making an early impact, picking up where he left off by driving Shaheen Afridi through the covers. However, Pakistan’s leading fast bowler eventually dismissed him, as Crawley hit a catch to midwicket after scoring a solid 85. Ben Duckett then came to bat after missing the previous day due to a thumb injury. He showed no signs of discomfort, immediately putting Pakistan under pressure.

Check out: West Indies eye Bangladesh scalp to boost semifinal hopes

Duckett and Root Dominate as England Push Back Against Pakistan

Duckett struck Abrar Ahmed for two consecutive boundaries and then added three more in a single over, racing to 34 off just 26 balls. Joe Root joined in, finding the boundary off Naseem Shah, and reached his half-century just before the drinks break. Duckett followed suit soon after, further improving his impressive record against Pakistan. Despite Pakistan making several changes in their bowling attack, they struggled to contain England’s scoring.

At one point, the Pakistani pacers found some reverse swing, creating a glimmer of hope when Aamer Jamal struck Root on the pads. However, ball-tracking showed that the ball would have missed the stumps. In the same over, Root played a lovely drive to surpass Alastair Cook’s tally, leaving him with only four players ahead of him in the all-time runs list.

Root continued his innings into the afternoon, hitting a boundary in the first over after lunch. Pakistan managed to claim a crucial wicket soon after, sending Duckett back for 84, just 16 runs shy of a century. Despite this, Duckett’s dismissal didn’t relieve the pressure on Pakistan, as Harry Brook quickly signaled his intent with a boundary on just his second ball faced.

 Harry Brook took an aggressive approach, quickly reaching 21 runs off just 15 balls. This mirrored the morning session, where new batters took charge immediately after an early wicket. Shaheen Afridi’s introduction did little to change the momentum, as Brook hit him for three boundaries, while Joe Root added another to inch closer to his century.

Brook reached his fifty off only 49 balls, and Root followed suit, achieving his milestone in the next over. With his 35th Test century, the former England captain is now ranked behind only five players on the all-time list. Despite Pakistan’s efforts to break their partnership, the two batters comfortably navigated the rest of the day, ensuring England remained strong.

Brief Scores:
England 492/3 (Joe Root 176*, Harry Brook 141*, Ben Duckett 84, Zak Crawley 78) trail Pakistan 556 by 64 runs.

Check out: Milestone Man Root Drives England’s Momentum

Rajapaksa, Vandersay return to Sri Lanka’s T20I squad

Sri Lanka has recalled hard-hitting batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa to their T20I squad for the upcoming series against West Indies. The 32-year-old recently played six matches for St Lucia Kings during their successful CPL 2024 title run, where he had a standout performance, scoring 68 not out off 34 balls in a chase of 202 against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots.

Rajapaksa last played for Sri Lanka in T20Is in January 2023 and has faced previous fitness issues that sidelined him. Before his CPL stint, he was instrumental in Galle Marvels’ journey to the final of the Lanka Premier League in July, finishing as one of the top performers with 236 runs at an impressive strike rate of 163.88, placing him behind only Tim Seifert and Alex Hales in the team’s scoring charts.

Sri Lanka T20I Squad Sees Rajapaksa and Vandersay’s Return Ahead of West Indies Series

Along with Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s T20I squad sees the return of legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay, who last played in this format in February 2022. The 34-year-old made a strong impression in two ODIs against India in August, taking 6 wickets for 33 runs in one match and 2 for 34 in another.

Notably absent from the squad is former captain Dasun Shanaka, along with Dilshan Madushanka and Dushmantha Chameera, who were part of the team during Sri Lanka’s recent 0-3 home loss to India.

Squad:
Charith Asalanka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, Binura Fernando, Asitha Fernando.

The three T20I matches will take place on October 13, 15, and 17 at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.

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