- England star batsman Joe Root has etched his name in the history books
- He surpassed Alastair Cook to become England’s highest Test run scorer
- Root’s contributions came at a crucial time for England on Wednesday
Joe Root has overtaken Alastair Cook to become England’s leading Test scorer, with a score of 12,473 on the third morning of the first Test against Pakistan in Multan.
Root had started the day on 32 and needed another 39 to move past Cook and into fifth place on the all-time Test list as England replied to Pakistan’s mammoth first innings 556.
After losing his partner Zak Crawley for 78 in the fifth over of the day, the moment came at 11.48 when Root Aamer drove Jamal straight for a typically sharp four that brought the England dressing room to their feet.
Root allowed himself a fist bump with his partner, Ben Duckett, who was batting at No. 4 after injuring his left thumb last night, and a short swing with the bat. With a test to save or possibly even win, the celebrations were characteristically low-key.
He needed just 147 Tests and 268 innings to get there, compared to Cook’s final scores of 161 and 291. His average of almost 51 also compares favorably with Cook’s 45, although Cook spent his career opening against the new ball.
England star batsman Joe Root etched his name in the history books during the first Test against Pakistan on Wednesday morning
Root surpassed Alastair Cook’s tally of 12,472 to become England’s highest run-scorer in Test cricket – with a total of 12,473 runs
Root’s contributions came at a crucial time for England as they looked to respond to Pakistan’s strong first-innings total.
Only Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid are ahead of Root, who had earlier achieved his 99th Test score of 50 or more.
The record took place in front of a small but enthusiastic crowd, with the gates thrown open for free on another scorching day in central Pakistan.
Root’s record-breaking knock took England to 221 for two from just 43 overs, made at an over-five pace.