Brook's 317 leads record-breaking England towards victory

First Test, Multan (day four of five)

Pakistan 556: Masood 151 & 152-6: Atkinson 2-28

England 823-7 dec: Brook 317, Root 262

Pakistan trail by 115 runs

Scorecard

Harry Brook became the first England batter for 34 years to hit a triple-century in Test cricket on an astonishing fourth day against Pakistan in Multan.

Brook, Joe Root and England broke a host of records, then the visiting pace bowlers were irresistible in charging to what looks like certain victory in the first Test.

Brook’s 317 is the sixth score in excess of 300 by an England man and his partnership of 454 with Root, who made 262, was the fourth-highest for any wicket in the history of the game.

A total of 823-7 declared is also the fourth-highest ever and England’s largest since 1938.

It meant England took a lead of 267, a barely believable advantage considering Pakistan posted 556 in their first innings.

Despite the avalanche of runs on the flat pitch, Chris Woakes knocked out the off stump of Abdullah Shafique with the first ball of Pakistan’s second innings.

England were rampant, Pakistan feeble. The hosts disintegrated after tea, spiralling towards a humiliating defeat on 152-6, still 115 short of making England bat again.

Never before has a team posted so many runs in the first innings of a Test, then gone on to lose by an innings.

England, who secured a historic 3-0 victory in Pakistan two years ago, will add another memorable win at some point on Friday.

By any measure, this was an incredible day of Test cricket, one that broke new ground and challenged other landmarks that have stood for decades.

Even on a pitch that has been abnormally flat for the best part of four days, and against a toothless Pakistan attack missing ill spinner Abrar Ahmed, the runs scored by Brook, Root and England were extraordinary.

The tourists gave themselves the advantage by moving to 492-3 on day three, when Root became England’s all-time leading Test run-scorer.

Root had added 10 to his overnight 176 when he drilled Naseem Shah to mid-wicket, where Babar Azam shelled a simple catch. From there, Pakistan fell apart, England scored at will and the prospect of a rare triple-century quickly became a reality.

Brook, resuming on 141, went past his previous highest Test score of 186. A top-edge off Aamer Jamal just evaded the square leg fielder and, from the next ball, a Brook pull took the stand past England’s previous best partnership of 411 between greats Colin Cowdrey and Peter May in 1957.

Root found another best in his record-laden career, beating his previous highest score of 254. After 10 hours at the crease, he was eventually beaten by an off-break that Salman Agha got to keep low.

Brook went on and on, toying with the bowling using both classical and unorthodox strokes: cover drives, ramps, flicks and use of the feet. Pakistan became a rabble, beset by misfields and overthrows, while six home bowlers conceded more than 100 runs.

Only eight overs were needed to add 79 with Jamie Smith. Brook went from 250 to 300 in just 29 balls, a holy grail of batting achievements reached thanks to a straight four off Saim Ayub.

It was the 32nd instance of a triple century in Test cricket, which Brook celebrated with a salute to the dressing room and a look to the sky.

The 25-year-old seemed set to challenge Sir Len Hutton’s 364, the highest score by an England batter, until he top-edged a sweep off Ayub. He left owning the fifth-highest score by an Englishman.

Still England were not done, becoming the fourth team to pass 800 before captain Ollie Pope decided enough was enough just before tea.

While Brook and Root were punishing Pakistan, there was the temptation to wonder whether or not their exploits would ultimately be in vain.

Given the surface, it felt like it might still be a challenge for England to dismiss Pakistan for a second time.

But Pakistan, winless in 10 matches at home, are brittle and the pitch, out of nowhere, woke from its slumber. The notion of an England victory went from being in the balance to possible by the end of the day.

Woakes produced the sensational start, finding a crack for the ball to keep low and nip back. Shafique could not believe his off stump was left lying on the ground.

Pakistan captain Shan Masood was dropped twice, by Woakes off Gus Atkinson, then by Atkinson off Woakes, leaving Atkinson to find a leading edge that Zak Crawley pouched on the leg side.

The hosts were caught between hitting themselves out of trouble and digging in. Atkinson produced a beauty to take the edge of Babar and, from the next ball, Ayub criminally miscued Brydon Carse for Ben Duckett to take a fine catch running back at mid-off.

Mohammad Rizwan had his stumps splattered by Carse and Abrar was absent from the ground, yet the prospect of a four-day finish literally slipped through England’s fingers.

Brook can be excused for his flying drop of Jamal at gully, but Shoaib Bashir’s miss of the same man at long leg was a dolly.

Jamal remains on 27, Salman has 41, making England wait for a third successive win in Tests when they have conceded a total in excess of 500.