Joe Root and Harry Brook Lead England’s Charge
However, as soon as the innings of England started, the English team made the neighbors aware of history. The English bowlers, who are known for their tough innings, fell apart against Pakistan. Except for captain Oli Pope (0), England’s batsmen made little trouble for the Pakistani bowlers. Joe Root, one of the top batsmen in Test cricket, showed composure at first and then burst into a double century. He also reached a double century, well supported by Harry Brook, then made his intentions clear with a triple century.
Root was dismissed for 262 off 375 balls with 17 fours, while Harry Brook remained on the pitch with a double century. Meanwhile, England created history by reaching the 700-run mark in their first innings in the Multan Test. Earlier, the Indian team had scored the highest number of runs as a visiting team in Pakistan. Team India achieved the feat of scoring 675 runs in 2004. But, now the English team succeeded in breaking this record of India.
Pakistan’s Solid First Innings
Earlier, Pakistan scored 556 runs in 149 overs in their first innings. For Pakistan, Abdullah Shafiq (102), Sai Ayub (4), Shan Masood (151), Babar Azam (30), Saud Shakeel (82), Naseem Shah (33), Mohammad Rizwan (0), Agha Salman (104 not out), Aamir Jamal (7), Shaheen Afridi (26) and Abrar Ahmed (3) scored runs. Pakistani batsmen played well on a batsmen-friendly pitch. Jack Leach top-scored for England with three wickets, while Gus Atkinson and Brayden Carrs took two each. Apart from this, Chris Woakes, Shoaib Bashir, and Joe Root took 1 wicket each.
Team Lineups
- Pakistan XI: Shan Masood (captain), Sam Ayub, Abdullah Shafiq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Agha Salman, Ameer Jamal, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed.
- England XI: Ollie Pope (captain), Zach Crawley, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Braydon Carrs, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.