Joe Root delivered a remarkable performance, scoring an unbeaten half-century to become England's leading run-scorer in Test cricket. This achievement took place during the third day of their opening match against Pakistan in Multan, where England reached 232-2 at lunch.
Starting the day with 32 runs, Root needed 39 more to surpass Alastair Cook’s record of 12,472 runs. He accomplished this milestone with an elegant on-drive for four runs off bowler Aamer Jamal, receiving enthusiastic applause from the English fans present.
At the end of the session, England was still trailing by 324 runs, with Root on 72 and Ben Duckett at 80 not out. Root secured his 65th Test fifty with an inside edge and survived a strong leg-before-wicket (LBW) appeal, which allowed him to move past Cook’s tally and into the top five on the all-time run-scorer list, joining legends like Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, and Sachin Tendulkar.
Resuming play at 96-1 after Pakistan set a formidable target of 556 in their first innings, England lost opener Zak Crawley for 78 runs within the first hour. Crawley flicked a delivery from Shaheen Afridi to Jamal at mid-wicket, ending the solid 109-run partnership for the second wicket.
Despite the loss, England maintained their aggressive approach. Duckett, who had dislocated his left thumb while fielding and was unable to play the previous day, showed no signs of injury as he quickly found his rhythm. He hit three boundaries in a single over off spinner Abrar Ahmed, temporarily sending him out of the attack. Duckett reached his half-century in just 45 balls, contributing significantly to England's steady scoring rate of nearly five runs per over.
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