Tea England 351 for 3 (Root 119*, Duckett 84, Crawley 78, Brook 64*, Jamal 1-56) trail Pakistan 556 by 205 runs
The hundred, Root’s first against Pakistan, arrived in a middle session comprising of 119 largely untroubled runs in the space of 25 overs, following a morning session of 136 from just as many. England are still 205 behind Pakistan’s first innings of 556, but it is clear the intention is to wipe that deficit by close of play today.
Harry Brook, who goes into the break unbeaten on 64, was Root’s main ally in the afternoon, dominating a third consecutive century partnership in the innings, coming off 121 balls. The pair has added 102 so far, off the back of stands of 109 and 136 for the second and third wicket.
Much like the last 12 years of England cricket, Root was a constant throughout. He resumed after lunch on 72, and cashed in for three figures by reverse-sweeping a single off his 167th delivery for his fifth century in 2024 – the third time he has struck as many in a calendar year, after 2021 and 2022. Only Ricky Ponting (four) and Matthew Hayden (four) scored five or more Test centuries in more calendar years.
The undoubted statistical highlight arrived 15 minutes before the end of the first session, when Root, on 67, leaned into another compact drive for four to march along to 12,473 career runs, overtaking Sir Alastair Cook as England’s most prolific Test batter, and the fifth overall, behind only Sachin Tendulkar, Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid.
His only moment of alarm was when he cramped up in his right calf on 86 when attempting a sweep off the listless Abrar Ahmed. A continuous supply of gels and isotonic drinks kept the calf in decent check, even if there were further moments of discomfort when taking sharp singles and leaning into drives and sweeps.
His only misjudgement was advising Ben Duckett to review his lbw dismissal. Ball-tracking showed Aamer Jamal had accurately pinned the left-hand batter on the back pad with the ball set to take a path into leg stump,. England lost their review. That was the only wicket to fall in the afternoon session.
It was an impressive showing from Duckett, whose 75-ball 84 was the backbone of a brisk 136-run stand with Root. Duckett’s participation in this innings had been in some doubt when he left the field clutching his thumb in agony after taking the final catch of Pakistan’s innings late on the second evening. But, after receiving treatment overnight, he strode out at No. 4 to rattle through to a 45-ball half-century, his fourth against Pakistan.
He arrived at the crease in the first hour of play, when Zak Crawley flicked uppishly across a full-length delivery from Shaheen Shah Afridi and picked out Jamal at midwicket. Jamal’s second catch of the innings wasn’t a patch on the screamer with which he had dismissed Ollie Pope on the second evening, however. The ball looped straight to him, and he all but dropped it before scooping it up at the second attempt.
Either way, Crawley was gone for 78 from 85 balls – his sixth score between 60 and 80 this year – and at 113 for 2, Pakistan had a glimmer of an opening, until Duckett took over, showing no ill-effects from his thumb injury. He had one life on 37, when Naseem Shah found his outside edge only for the ball to bisect keeper and a wide first slip. Alas, he was guilty as Crawley for missing out on what looked a nailed-on century, dismissed for the fourth time between 70 and 90 since his third Test hundred back in February, against India in Rajkot.
Brook, however, picked up the mantle of aggressor with aplomb immediately upon his arrival with the score 249 for 3.
It was on the previous Pakistan tour that Brook had announced himself to the world with a Player-of-the-Series turn of 468 runs at 93.60, with centuries in all three Tests. Two years on, a guided four to third from his second delivery showed he was back to inflict more upon the hosts.
Despite a hint of reverse swing on offer – first with Jamal, then for Afridi – Brook’s speed out of the blocks could not be tempered. Afridi felt the full force of that when a short delivery was smashed back down the ground like a tennis forehand for the first of consecutive boundaries. Brook made it to his half-century in 49 deliveries, his fifth 50-plus score in six innings against Pakistan.
Abrar, meanwhile, continued to be a target of England’s ire in the afternoon session, which saw him bring up three figures of his own. At one point, Root opted to bat left-handed against the legspinner, who was hiding the ball outside leg stump on an unresponsive track.
That Abrar was able to stitch together some boundary-less overs was purely down to Root and Brook deciding to milk singles with the field spread. He is currently nursing unflattering figures of 0 for 123 from 24 overs. A cursory over of Saim Ayub’s part-time spin before tea spoke of skipper Shan Masood’s desperation for a breakthrough.
