England's star batter Joe Root said he hopes to blast past Alistair Cook's record career haul of runs for the national team in the first Test match against Pakistan on Monday.
"I'd like to get more than that in this game," Root said of Cook's record while speaking to the media at Multan Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
The 33-year-old needs just 71 more to overhaul Cook's 12,472, and if his run spree continues, he may become the new record-holder in the match starting on Monday in Multan.
"I feel like I'm going to be playing for a good while past it, so it's not really a focus."
Root is a veteran of 146 Tests and already holds the record for hitting the most hundreds for England with 34 — half of them since 2020.
England clean swept Pakistan 3-0 when the teams last faced each other in 2022 — Pakistan's first-ever home whitewash.
"Our last tour here was obviously excellent," said Root. "It's always nice to have that confidence and good memories going into any series."
“I have some very good memories from our last tour here, and it was great to be back in Multan,” he said.
This time the pitch is being baked by temperatures up to 39°C (102°F).
"We are just getting ready for the heat and how warm it's going to be over the five days," said Root. "We're just trying to prepare ourselves best for the conditions more than anything."
Root also acknowledged Pakistan's talent, stating, “There's a lot of skill in the Pakistan side, and they are a very strong Test match team.”
Additionally, Pakistan's first private sports channel Geo Super will air all three matches of the Pakistan vs England Test series live.
Schedule:
Oct 7-11 – First Test, Multan
Oct 15-19 – Second Test, Multan
Oct 24-28 – Third Test, Rawalpindi
Additional input from APP
- Joe Root
