It was a day four that England had dreamed of and Pakistan feared, and one this docile Multan pitch probably did not deserve. A first Test that was drifting towards nothingness has now been flipped in favour of the tourists, who are on the cusp of another famous win in these parts.
England’s staggering 823 for 7, their third highest total and fourth overall, featuring Harry Brook‘s maiden triple-century of 317 and Joe Root‘s new career-best of 262, has laden this match with more history for themselves. Pakistan, meanwhile, plumbed new depths.
A tough time in the field led to a dreadful start to their second innings, losing Abdullah Shafique first ball and then finding themselves 82 for 6, before eventually closing on 152 for 6. With Abrar Ahmed hospitalised with fever, they are likely three wickets away from a sixth consecutive Test defeat, and third at home.
That Pakistan came to the ground on Thursday morning still ahead by 64 felt a lifetime ago. But even then, with Brook and Root resuming on 144 and 176, respectively, the signs were ominous, and so they proved. By the time their stand was broken – Root trapped lbw by Salman Agha – it had reached 454, England’s highest outright and the fourth-highest in Tests for any wicket against any team. They should have parted on 258, but a simple dropped catch from Babar Azam gave Root, on 186, a reprieve when he pulled Naseem Shah to midwicket.
Brook arrived as the lesser of the two stories after Root had become England’s leading Test run-scorer on day three, then registered 20,000 across all formats with his first boundary of the day. But the junior Yorkshireman would seize the headlines by becoming England’s sixth triple-centurion, and first since Graham Gooch.
Brook, who was born nine years after Gooch’s 333 against India at Lord’s in 1990, eventually finished on 317 from a remarkable 322 balls, displaying remarkable fitness and shot-making throughout. The 310 deliveries it took him to reach the milestone made it the second quickest to Test triple, 32 balls shy of Virender Sehwag’s effort against South Africa in 2008.