Harry Brook hopes he has caused the England selectors a “migraine” after he scored a third century in three games.
That saw Brook break the record for the most runs scored by an Englishman on a tour to Pakistan - an achievement he managed with an innings still to spare.
He told reporters: “I actually said to one of my mates before I came out here that I would love to get two hundreds out here, so obviously to go one better is a very nice feeling.
“Most selectors say they like headaches, so hopefully I’ve caused a very big migraine.”
Brook is only playing in this series due to an injury to Jonny Bairstow, but such has been the quality of his performances he has made himself borderline undroppable with England facing a tough decision of who to leave out in the coming months.
“It's too hard to say at the minute,” Brook answered as to whether he had done enough to guarantee his spot in the team. “I think Jonny is one of the best players, if not the best player in the world – he was this summer anyway.
“So for me, he comes straight back in the side. Obviously I'm not selecting the team but he's such a big player for the side and he has been for so many years.”
Bairstow is unlikely to be fit for England’s tour of New Zealand in February with the Indian Premier League in March considered to be a more likely timeframe for his return.
When he does come back it could increase pressure on Ben Foakes’ position, with one option for England to fit both Brook and Bairstow in the team being a return to the gloves for Bairstow and to leave Foakes out.
That in itself would be a difficult decision as Foakes himself has performed fantastically in Karachi having missed the first two Tests. On day two he scored a vital 64 as part of a century partnership with Brook.
“He didn't look like he was going to get out,” was Brook’s assessment of Foakes performance. “So we just knocked it about for as long as we could and we were just trying to build a partnership.”
Not all Brook’s partnerships were as harmonious, however, as he was at fault for the runout of Ben Stokes with the England captain well set on 26 before Brook belatedly rejected a third run. It is the second time in two games that Brook has been involved in a run out after Ollie Pope fell in the same way last week.
“It probably makes you concentrate a little bit more actually when you've been involved in a run out, but obviously I was involved in [one with] Ollie Pope last week and I went on to get a hundred in that game [as well], so maybe I should start something up!” Brook joked.
“It was probably my fault to be honest,” he conceded of today’s run-out. “I'll take the blame there probably was three there, I was slightly lazy with my running, I was a bit tired to be honest.
“I was tempted to just leave my bat out and let him take it,” he said of the moment that both he and Stokes ended up at the same end with Brook just making his ground first ensuring he stayed in. “But instincts took over.”
