Harry Brook has the rhythm of Joe Root and the brutal power of Kevin Pietersen – he showed ruthless instinct in sensational 300 against Pakistan, writes NASSER HUSSAIN

After conceding 556 in the first innings, I thought England would have to be close to perfect to force a win – and they have been.

The way the two Yorkies, Joe Root and Harry Brook, batted was truly astonishing. Yes, it is a flat field in Multan, but the skill, concentration and fitness they showed in the scorching heat were remarkable.

Of anyone who has scored 250 in a Test, Root made the lowest percentage of his runs within boundaries, meaning he had to run the majority of them, and yet he still batted 10 hours.

And on the other side was Brook. Only Virender Sehwag has a run-a-ball 300 in Test cricket, but Brook had the skill to almost match him without looking frantic or chaotic. He has the shots of Kevin Pietersen and the rhythm and hunger of Root – and they are two of England’s greatest players.

There have been moments when Brook’s ruthlessness and concentration have been questioned. Like at Lord’s in last year’s Ashes, when he took on the fielders when five were back and he was caught in the deep. Or against Sri Lanka at the Oval, when the tourists ‘hid’ the ball outside the stump, but he kept driving and cut one off to cover. But he showed a truly ruthless instinct here.

He formed a record partnership with Root (pictured) as England took the lead

Brook has Pietersen’s photos (pictured) and showed ruthless instincts on day four

When Brook took a break after the death of his grandmother earlier this year, he worked hard on his fitness, and it really shows. The fitness levels of this England squad are incredible and incomparable to those of older generations.

For England to get 800, and to achieve it so quickly, was brilliant. They batted just once more than Pakistan in their first innings, scoring a further 267 runs.

With England scoring so quickly, it gives them plenty of time to pick up wins. The same was the case when they defeated Pakistan in Rawalpindi and New Zealand at Trent Bridge, the only other time they have conceded 550 in the Bazball era.

England timed their statement perfectly and what we saw next was a tired and demoralized Pakistan team.

Remember, it was the same for England. They had been in the field for 149 overs, but still went out and did a shift with the bat.

That was a testament to England’s superior fitness and mental toughness as Pakistan played many loose shots in the second innings collapse. They have made this a habit in recent months.

What happened on Thursday once again proves why Test cricket is the best format because it is all about being mentally strong. This match was boring to watch at times, but Test cricket is still intriguing because if you miss out on one session, like Pakistan did on Thursday evening, it could cost you dearly.

England had to be perfect to put themselves in a position to beat Pakistan and they did

They bowled better than their hosts and hit a better length, with Brydon Carse showing his skills and proving he is not one-dimensional

England also bowled a better length than Pakistan. You have to bowl a hard, heavy length and find the cracks in the pitch. All English seamstresses did that.

Brydon Carse in particular proved that he is not one-dimensional. In the first innings, he was asked to hit the ball in at mid-on, but on Thursday he had to bowl a heavy length and hit those cracks, and he managed to do that. The England bowlers were handled well by stand-in skipper Ollie Pope. He kept them going and turned them at the right time.

The only thing I would change is that Shoaib Bashir is asked to bowl a defensive leg stump line with the field set for him. Last night, with Pakistan 82 for six, it was the perfect opportunity to give Bashir an extra fielder on the offside and have him bowl an attacking line aimed at the off-stump.

But that’s just a minor criticism of an otherwise magnificent performance from England, which is a joy to watch.