With the help of double and triple centuries of Joe Root and Harry Brook, respectively, England scored the highest innings total against Pakistan by any team, as the former compiled 823 runs on the fourth day of first Test match in Multan.
This also made England the second team in history to score more than 700 runs in a Test match against the Green Shirts. Previously, the West Indies scored 790-3 against Pakistan in 1958.
England batsmen did not spare any Pakistan bowler as six of them — leading pacers Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed, Aamer Jamal, Salman Agha and Saim Ayub — conceded more than 100 runs each.
This is second time in Test cricket’s history that six bowlers of a team have conceded more than 100 runs each in an innings.
Prior to that, more than 100 runs were conceded by six Zimbabwe bowlers apiece in 2004.
This is the fourth time in cricket Test history and first time in the 21st century that a team has scored past 800 runs.
The last time Sri Lanka surpassed this milestone as they made 952-6 against India in 1997.
Whereas, England twice scored more than 800 earlier. Once, England made 849 against West Indies in 1930 and then 903 against Australia in 1938.
Hence, three of the four 800-plus runs in cricket belong to England.
Earlier in today’s match, both Root and Brook propelled their side way past Pakistan's 556-run total in the first innings with the former becoming the first English batter to make 20,000 international runs.
The former captain was handed a reprieve on 186 when Babar Azam dropped the simplest of catches at mid-wicket, and he made the most of it to reach his sixth double-century with a single before celebrating by kissing the badge on his helmet.
By scoring his sixth double ton, Root went past Cook again with only Wally Hammond ahead of him in England's list with seven double centuries.
On Wednesday, he had surpassed Alastair Cook as England's top Test run-scorer.
Faizan Lakhani Faizan Lakhani is Deputy Editor (Sports) at Geo News.
