On the fourth day of the first Test at Multan Cricket Stadium, England's star batsman Joe Root disclosed how the 2022 tour to Pakistan had prepared him and Harry Brook to bat in the intense heat. He also discussed how unfamiliar the situations are in Multan for them. Notably, a record-breaking 454 runs for England for the fourth wicket was shared by Root and Brook, who turned the tide of the match.
Root on Multan's condition
Both players achieved their highest-ever Test scores when Brook (317) became the sixth England batter to record a triple-hundred, while Root (262) achieved his sixth double-hundred. At the conclusion of the day's play, the England player complimented Brook on his quick scoring pace and highlighted how the prior trip had assisted them in getting used to the intense heat in the middle.
"Feeling good. Brilliant position in the game now. What a session for us. What an innings by Harry, his knock allowed us to get the runs quickly and put them in. We have played a lot of cricket together for Yorkshire and more recently for England. We are dealing with conditions that are still alien to us, we have not batted in such heat but that's where you utilise the previous experiences. We learnt a lot from our previous tour to Pakistan and that has helped us with the way we batted. We still have a lot of hard work to do, but we have a real opportunity tomorrow. It was an absolute pleasure to watch him (Brook). His record here in Pakistan is phenomenal," said Root at the end of Stumps Day 4.
England throw Pakistan on backfoot
With the help of Root and Brook's historic partnership, England amassed the fourth-highest score in Test cricket history (823/7), and they quickly built a commanding advantage of 257 runs. With a 115-run deficit in the second innings at 152/6, England's bowlers proved to be formidable in the second innings, leaving Pakistan staring down the barrel at stumps on Day. Gus Atkinson (2/28) and Brydon Carse (2/39) were Pakistan's main destroyers; they are currently in danger of losing their sixth straight Test match at home.
