In a historic achievement, Joe Root has established himself as England’s all-time leading run-scorer in Test matches.
A remarkable achievement was witnessed on day three of the first Test in Multan, as the 33-year-old surpassed Sir Alastair Cook’s impressive total of 12,472 runs.
He achieved a significant milestone by scoring 71 runs in the match and concluded the day not out at 176, marking the 35th Test century of his career.
Harry Brook remains unbeaten at 141, while England stands at 492-3. The visitors are now 64 runs behind as they head into the fourth day with seven wickets.
In response to his significant accomplishment, the former captain showed little exuberance, simply lifting his hand to recognize the scattered applause from the limited audience during the initial play session.
In response to the home team’s impressive total of 556, England found themselves trailing by over 300 runs at that moment.
Root surpassed Cook’s record of 33 Test centuries for England this summer, achieving the milestone with two hundred against Sri Lanka at Lord’s.
The Yorkshireman has achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the fifth-highest run-scorer in the history of Test cricket. He now trails behind notable legends such as India’s Sachin Tendulkar, Australia’s Ricky Ponting, South Africa’s Jacques Kallis, and fellow Indian Rahul Dravid, who sits just under 1,000 runs ahead with a total of 13,288 runs.
Root began his Test career facing India in 2012 and achieved his inaugural century against New Zealand at Headingley the following year.
His top score in Test matches is 254, achieved against Pakistan at Emirates Old Trafford in July 2016.
This remarkable feat marks one of five occasions in which he has surpassed the 200-run milestone in this format.
The former England captain praised Root as an “absolute champion” and highlighted him as one of England’s finest, stating he is “if not the best player we have had.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer praised the accomplishment, stating it is a fantastic achievement from an outstanding cricketer who gets better and better.
On Wednesday, the celebrations extended beyond Joe Root as other family members joined the festivities. On the same day, his brother Billy, a cricketer for Glamorgan County, tied the knot, and he accomplished his remarkable achievement.
