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Louise Thomas
Editor
Joe Root has overhauled Sir Alastair Cook as England’s record run scorer in Test cricket, passing his former captain’s mark of 12,472 on day three of the series opener against Pakistan.
Root arrived in the country needing 71 to take top spot and got there in his first innings, seizing a crown he has long been destined for in typically assured fashion on the third morning in Multan.
The 33-year-old assumed the mantle with a check drive for four off Aamer Jamal, moving fifth on the all-time list in his 147th Test appearance – 14 fewer than Cook managed before his retirement in 2018.
The moment was marked in low-key fashion, unnoticed by the local fans and toasted by nothing more extravagant that a touch of gloves with batting partner Ben Duckett and a pat on the shoulder.
It was a typically assured innings from the Yorkshireman and sorely needed after he came to the crease with England on four for one in reply to Pakistan’s bumper score of 556.
Their position looked considerably healthier as they went into the lunch interval on 232 for two, Root unbeaten on 72, Duckett racing along to 80 not out in just 67 balls and Zak Crawley back in the pavilion for 78.
There is plenty still to do for England to shore up their position fully but, regardless of how the game pans out, Root’s efforts will stand the test of time.
In August he bested another of Cook’s proudest achievements, levelling then overtaking his record of 33 Test centuries with back-to-back hundreds against Sri Lanka at Lord’s.
At the time, Cook told BBC’s Test Match Special: “He is quite simply England’s greatest, and it’s absolutely right that he should have this record, on his own. He’s just the final one to tick off…”
That has now happened, placing Root below only Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar – all of whom he will fancy overtaking.
England resumed on 96 for one overnight, Root in no hurry to rush towards his destiny as he took just three singles in the opening half-hour.
Crawley was in a greater hurry, adding two more boundaries to the 11 he scored on the second evening before departing with a flick around his front pad.
He chipped straight to Jamal, who took a sensational catch to dismiss Ollie Pope for a duck but did his best to spill this much easier chance before finally closing his hands around the ball.
While that was disappointment for the tourists, the sight which followed was encouraging: Duckett emerging at number four as the injury scare which prevented him opening the innings abated.
Alarm bells rang when he was struck on the left thumb taking a slip catch to end Pakistan’s innings but with no fracture detected he received the green light to resume.
He immediately went on the attack, leaving Root to chip away at the other end, and took a particularly dismissive approach to lead spinner Abrar Ahmed.
He motored to his half-century in just 45 balls with only real scare as a genuine edge off Naseem Shah disappeared through the vacant first slip.
He soon overtook Root, despite conceding a 34-run headstart, but the elder statesman of the side was eyeing a bigger prize and got there with a flowing drive off Shaheen.
In the course of his innings he had not only toppled Cook, nine years after the left-hander had replaced Graham Gooch, but registered his 99th score of 50 of more and passed 1,000 runs for the calendar year.
