Joe Root scored a majestic unbeaten century after surpassing Alastair Cook as England’s top run-scorer in Test cricket and guided the team to 492-3 at stumps on the third day of the opening match against Pakistan on Wednesday.
Root began the day on 32 not out, needing a further 39 runs to eclipse Cook’s tally of 12,472, and the former captain eased to his target with an on-drive for four off Aamer Jamal before soaking up loud applause from the travelling English fans.
He then fought off cramps after lunch to bring up his 35th century with a reverse-sweep and looked poised to plunder more runs after cruising to 176 not out at the close with England trailing by 64 runs.
Fellow Yorkshireman Harry Brook was batting on 141, a fine knock that followed Ben Duckett’s quick-fire 84 earlier.
Pakistan’s bowlers were unable to extract any help from the flat pitch at the Multan Cricket Stadium and were wrestled into submission by England, who had toiled on the first two days of the match.
Root got to his fifty earlier with an inside edge and the 33-year-old survived a loud lbw appeal to go past Cook’s record and into the top-five in the all-time list behind Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar.
Resuming on 96-1 after Pakistan amassed 556 in their first innings, England lost Zak Crawley for 78 inside the first hour of the day when the opener flicked one from Shaheen Afridi to Aamer Jamal at mid-wicket.
That abruptly ended the 109-run stand for the second wicket but England were in no mood to slow down.
Duckett, who dislocated his left thumb while taking a catch and was unable to open on Tuesday, showed no signs of the issue as he took to the crease and smashed spinner Abrar Ahmed out of the attack temporarily with three boundaries in the 30th over.
The left-hander needed only 45 balls to bring up his half-century but Aamer trapped him lbw in the afternoon session to snap his 136-run stand with Root and leave England on 249-3.
There would be no respite for Pakistan as Brook ensured the run rate did not drop below five an over at tea, with his breezy effort helping England post their third consecutive century stand of the innings.
To add to the hosts’ misery, Brook bizarrely survived a scare in the evening session when the ball hit the stumps after bouncing off his helmet grill and the bails did not fall off.
He quickly shrugged off that incident to complete his sixth ton before swelling his unbroken stand with Root to 243.
