A statistical look at England’s huge total in first Test against Pakistan
Joe Root became England’s all-time record run scorer on Wednesday before Harry Brook took centre stage by reaching a triple century on Thursday.
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England piled up records in the first Test against Pakistan as Harry Brook and Joe Root starred in a score of 823 for seven declared.
After Root became England’s all-time record run scorer on Wednesday, Brook took centre stage by reaching a triple century on Thursday.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the statistics of note from England’s innings.
Highest Test totals
England’s total was the fourth-highest in Test history, with those the only scores over 800.
Sri Lanka hold the record with 952 for six declared against India in 1997, Sanath Jayasuriya making 340 and Roshan Mahanama 225.
The rest of that list consists of England innings, topped by 903 for seven against Australia in 1938 when Sir Len Hutton made England’s record individual score of 364.
They made 849 against the West Indies in 1930, with this week’s score slotting in fourth, ahead of the Windies’ 790 for three declared against Pakistan in 1958 – Sir Garfield Sobers made a then-record 365 not out and Conrad Hunte 260 in a stand of 446.
England made their runs in Multan in 150 overs at 5.48 per over, the only one of the quintet to even top four an over. The highest previous score made at five an over or above was Australia’s 735 for six declared in 146.3 overs against minnows Zimbabwe in 2003.
Triple triumph
Brook made only England’s sixth triple century, and the first since Graham Gooch’s 333 against India in 1990.
Hutton tops the list with second place occupied by Wally Hammond, with 336 not out against New Zealand in 1933, and Gooch third.
Andy Sandham’s 325 in the aforementioned innings of 849 against the West Indies was the first ever Test triple. Brook slots in fifth with 317, ahead of John Edrich’s 310 not out against New Zealand in 1965.
Brook ranks joint-20th in the global list of record Test scores after making the 32nd triple century in the format. Reaching the mark in 310 balls, it was the second-fastest behind Virender Sehwag, who took 278 balls in his eventual 319 off 304 against South Africa in 2008.
Historic partnership
Brook and Root put on 454, passing England’s previous record stand of 411 by Peter May and Colin Cowdrey against the Windies in 1957.
It was also the highest ever partnership against Pakistan, beating Hunte and Sobers’ effort, and by any pair of batters in a Test away from home – that record previously belonged to Australia’s Sir Donald Bradman and Bill Ponsford at the Oval in 1934.
The Yorkshire duo came together at 249 for three on Wednesday, took the score to 492 at stumps and on to 703 before Root was dismissed by Salman Agha on Thursday. As well as Brook in fifth, Root’s score ranked 14th among all Test innings by England batters.
Root extends record
Root’s personal landmark arrived on Wednesday when he passed 70 and eclipsed Sir Alastair Cook’s previous England record of 12,472 Test runs.
He took his tally on to 12,664 in an innings of 262, the highest Test score of his career as he went past the 254 he made against the same opposition at Old Trafford in 2016.
It was Root’s sixth double ton in Tests and his 35th century in all, two clear of Cook for the England record.