Root 259*, Brook 218* as England lead by 102 at lunch

Lunch England 658 for 3 (Root 259*, Brook 218*) lead Pakistan by 102 runs

England’s dominance with the bat in this first Test in Multan continued into day four as Joe Root and Harry Brook brought up their double-centuries as the visitors lunched with a first-innings lead of 102.

Resuming on Thursday morning in Multan on 176 and 141 respectively, with England still trailing by 64, the pair set about adding more personal and team records to their collection. Root pocketed his sixth double-century – only Wally Hammond (seven) has more for England – before moving to an outright career-best when he passed his previous highest score of 254, also against Pakistan, which had stood for more than eight years. As for Brook, this was his first journey into the 200s in all red-ball cricket.

As a pair, their current stand of 409 is now England’s second-highest for any wicket, against any opponent. Only the 411 between Colin Cowdrey and Peter May against West Indies in 1957 lies ahead of the Yorkshire duo.

Given how easily they found the morning session, with 166 unanswered runs coming in 29 overs, it is inevitable they will climb to the top of that list, a day after Root made his ascent to the summit of England’s individual run-scorers list. His first boundary of the day saw him move beyond 20,000 runs in all international cricket.

It was Root’s drive through the covers for three 50 minutes into play, at the end of the 12th over of day four, that took England level with Pakistan’s first innings of 556. But the 33-year-old is lucky to still be there, benefitting from a drop when on 186. A firm pull off Naseem Shah was shelled by Babar Azam at midwicket; the catch was at an ideal height, and the error was compounded by a pristine cover drive off the very next delivery.

It came in an opening period in which Pakistan’s beleaguered attack was able to summon movement through the air and off the surface, beating the bat on a handful of occasions. They arrived at the ground a bowler down with Abrar Ahmed taken to the hospital because of a fever, even if his 0 for 174 from 35 overs so far suggested he was no great loss. Ultimately, it was a passage of play the hosts could not make count.

Root did not look back, and soon had his double-hundred with a leisurely tuck behind square off his 305th delivery. His second 250-plus score was brought up with his patented ramp-scoop – bringing out the shot for the first time in his innings. Replays showed the ball cannoned off pad rather than willow.

Brook’s morning was chanceless and just as carefree. Perhaps the only thing to concern him was reaching 200. His previous first-class top score was 194, scored in the County Championship against Kent in a 2022 season that earned him promotion to the international side, with his Test debut arriving at the end of that summer.

Having lifted his Test average above 60, a new Test best was set with a nudge into midwicket to move past the 186 he scored against New Zealand at Wellington in 2023. A fine sweep off Salman Agha moved him to a new first-class best of 195.

The single for 200 was just as leisurely, opening the face into a square drive off Naseem to the deep fielder off his 245th delivery, greeted with a subdued celebration. Next on his agenda was his father, David’s top score of 210 for Burley Cricket Club against Woodhouse, a point of pride for the patriarch of the Brook household. A ramp for four off a Naseem bouncer took junior Brook behind senior, while also taking the partnership beyond 400.

This is only the second time England have had two batters register double-centuries in the same Test innings, 39 years after Graeme Fowler and Mike Gatting did so against India in Chennai.

Vithushan Ehantharajah is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo