Pakistan were 23-1 at tea on the fourth day, battling to avoid an innings defeat after Harry Brook’s 371 and Joe Root’s 262 led England to a staggering 823-7 declared in the first Test on Thursday.
Brook and Root shared a record 454-run partnership for the fourth wicket, as England amassed the fourth-highest total in Test history. Chris Woakes then dismissed opener Abdullah Shafique with the first ball of Pakistan’s second innings.
Saim Ayub and captain Shan Masood, both surviving dropped catches by England, remained unbeaten on 13 and 10, respectively. Pakistan still need 244 runs to force England to bat again.
Brook and Root dominated on a flat Multan pitch, each posting career-best scores, securing England a 267-run lead over Pakistan’s first-innings total of 556.
The 25-year-old Brook reached his triple century, becoming the sixth Englishman to do so in Test cricket, with a four off spinner Saim Ayub. He achieved the milestone in 310 balls, hitting 28 fours and three sixes.
England’s Andy Sandham was the first to score a triple hundred in Test cricket, with 325 against the West Indies in 1930. Other Englishmen to achieve this feat include Len Hutton (364), Wally Hammond (336 not out), Graham Gooch (333 not out), and Bill Edrich (310 not out).
Brook has quickly established himself in international cricket since debuting in 2022, including three centuries in a 3-0 series win against Pakistan.
Joe Root, Brook’s senior partner, narrowly missed out on his first triple century, falling leg-before to spinner Agha Salman for 262 shortly after lunch.
England, starting the day at 492-3, piled on quick runs as Root and Brook added 166 in just 29 overs, despite Pakistan’s defensive leg-side bowling. Root surpassed Alastair Cook’s record of 12,472 Test runs to become England’s highest run-scorer on Wednesday, breaking his previous best of 254, also scored against Pakistan in 2016.
Pakistan’s only real chance came when Root, on 186, mistimed a pull shot off Naseem Shah, but Babar Azam dropped a routine catch at mid-wicket.
Pakistan were further hampered by the absence of their frontline spinner Abrar Ahmed, who missed the day’s play due to illness.
