England achieved a historic cricket milestone during the first Test match against Pakistan in Multan on Thursday. The team recorded the highest team score in Test cricket this century, reaching 823 for seven before declaring their innings.

Harry Brook led the charge with a triple century, and Joe Root supported with a double century. This impressive score came in response to Pakistan’s 556. This remarkable total is the fourth highest in Test cricket history, with Sri Lanka holding the top position, having scored 952 for six against India in 1997 in Colombo.

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The outstanding performance by England in Multan has added a significant achievement to their cricketing records.

Here are the five highest test scores

Historic Partnership Breaks Records

Root, unbeaten on 259, and Brook, not out on 218, formed an unbroken partnership of 409 runs. This remarkable stand surpassed the previous record for an England-Pakistan Test, which was 363 by Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan in 2006 at Leeds. England’s total comfortably eclipsed Pakistan’s first innings score of 556.

Resuming the day at 492-3, England pressed for quick runs, adding 166 in just 29 overs during the morning session. Despite Pakistan’s defensive leg-side bowling tactics, Root and Brook remained relentless, boosting England’s position significantly.

Root Becomes England’s Leading Test Run-Scorer

Joe Root’s 259 not out came after surpassing Alastair Cook’s record of 12,472 runs to become England’s all-time highest Test run-scorer. He has now batted for an incredible 601 minutes, hitting 17 boundaries along the way. Root’s previous highest score, 254, was also against Pakistan in Manchester in 2016.

Brook’s Maiden Double Century

Harry Brook, in his first Test double century, was equally commanding. His 218 came from just 245 balls, featuring 20 boundaries and a six. Brook’s previous best of 186 was scored against New Zealand last year in Wellington.

Pakistan Misses Opportunities

Pakistan had a rare opportunity to dismiss Root in the first hour of play. On 186, he misjudged a pull shot off pacer Naseem Shah, but Babar Azam dropped the catch at mid-wicket. Root capitalized on the missed chance, bringing up his sixth Test double-century with a single off Agha Salman.

Pakistan was also without their main spinner Abrar Ahmed, who did not take the field on Thursday due to illness, further limiting their bowling options as England continued their dominant run.

With England poised to declare soon, the focus now shifts to how Pakistan will respond in the remainder of the match.