Pakistan batting collapse after England declare at 823-7

Pakistan were 49-4 on the fourth day and fighting to avoid an innings defeat after Harry Brook’s 371 and Joe Root’s 262 propelled England to a mammoth 823-7 declared in the first Test on Thursday.

Brook and Root put on 454 for the fourth wicket as England piled up the fourth highest innings in Test cricket history before Chris Woakes bowled opener Abdullah Shafique with the first ball of their second innings.

Saim Ayub and captain Shan Masood — dropped twice by England fielders — were unbeaten on 13 and 10 respectively with Pakistan still needing 244 to make England bat again.

Brook and Root enjoyed a run-feast on a flat Multan stadium pitch, both knocking career-best scores to give England a 267 lead over Pakistan’s first innings total of 556.

Brook completed his triple century with a boundary off part-timer Ayub, reaching the mark off 310 balls before he top-edged a sweep off the same bowler and was caught by Masood.

Brook cracked 29 fours and three sixes in his 439-minute stay at the crease.

But Root — who broke Alastair Cook’s England Test run record of 12,472 on Wednesday — fell short of a triple hundred as he was trapped leg-before by Salman Agha after a marathon 10 hour-stay suring which he hit 17 fours.

The Root-Brook stand of 454 was England’s highest in Tests, eclipsing the 411-run fourth wicket partnership by Peter May and Colin Cowdrey against the West Indies at Birmingham in 1957.

It is also the fourth highest partnership in Test cricket history.

Ayub (2-101) and Naseem Shah (2-157) were the most successful Pakistan bowlers.

England resumed on 492-3 in the morning and looked for quick runs, which Root and Brook provided despite Pakistan’s defensive leg-side bowling, adding 166 runs in 29 overs in the session.

Root’s previous best of 254 was also against Pakistan at Manchester in 2016.

Brook was equally dominant, hitting 20 boundaries and a six in his maiden Test double hundred, which came off just 245 balls.

His previous best was 186, scored against New Zealand at Wellington last year.

Pakistan’s only chance came in the first hour when Root, on 186, failed to keep down a pull shot off Shah but Babar Azam shelled the regulation chance at mid-wicket.

Root took full advantage and with a single off spinner Agha Salman completed his sixth Test double-century, which came in 517 minutes off 305 balls.

Pakistan were without frontline spinner Abrar Ahmed who suffered a fever and did not take the field on Thursday.