England Piles Up Historic 823 for 7 as Harry Brook Scores Triple Century to Beat Pakistan

England produced one of the most extraordinary turnarounds in the 147-year history of Test cricket at Multan Cricket Stadium on Friday, defeating Pakistan by an innings and 47 runs after replying to the hosts' first-innings 556 with a monumental 823 for 7 declared. Never before in more than 2,500 Test matches had a team conceded 500 or more runs in the opening innings and gone on to triumph without needing to bat a second time.

The architectural centerpiece of England's mammoth total—the fourth-highest team score ever recorded in Test cricket and the first 800-plus total anywhere in the world since 2009—was a breathtaking 454-run fourth-wicket partnership between Yorkshire teammates Harry Brook and Joe Root. Batting in blistering 37-degree-Celsius heat across Days 3 and 4 on a flat Multan surface, the pair eclipsed the previous all-time England partnership record of 411 set by Colin Cowdrey and Peter May against the West Indies in 1957.

Brook's Blistering 317 and Root's Career-Best 262

The 25-year-old Brook reached his maiden triple hundred in just 310 deliveries—second only to Virender Sehwag's 278-ball effort against South Africa in 2008—before eventually falling for 317 laced with 29 boundaries and three sixes. In doing so, Brook became the sixth Englishman to pass 300 in a Test innings and the first since Graham Gooch scored 333 against India at Lord's in 1990. Earlier in the stand, Root overtook Alastair Cook to become England's all-time leading Test run-scorer before registering his sixth career double century with a composed 262 off 375 balls.

Scoring at 5.48 runs per over across 150 overs, England established a commanding 267-run first-innings lead before stand-in captain Ollie Pope declared late on the fourth afternoon. Demoralized and physically exhausted after spending 150 overs in the field, Pakistan's top order crumbled almost immediately against the new ball. Chris Woakes trapped Abdullah Shafique leg-before-wicket with the very first delivery of the second innings, sparking a collapse that left the hosts reeling at 82 for 6 by Thursday's close.

“To score over 800 in the heat of Multan and then take 10 wickets on a flat pitch shows phenomenal fitness, skill, and belief from Harry Brook, Joe Root, and our entire bowling attack.” — Ollie Pope, Stand-in Captain of the England Men's Test Team

Jack Leach Seals Innings Victory to Deepen Pakistan's Woes

Although Salman Ali Agha (63) and Aamer Jamal (55 not out) offered defiant lower-order resistance on the fifth morning with a 109-run seventh-wicket stand, left-arm spinner Jack Leach broke through and cleaned up the tail to finish with figures of 4 for 30 in 6.5 overs. With unwell spinner Abrar Ahmed hospitalized and unable to bat, Leach's dismissal of Naseem Shah stumped by Jamie Smith sealed Pakistan's 220 all out before lunch on the final day, aided by energetic spells from debutant Brydon Carse (2-66) and Gus Atkinson (2-46).

The defeat extended a dismal sequence for Shan Masood's Pakistan side, which has now suffered six consecutive Test losses and gone 11 home Tests without a victory dating back to February 2021. For England head coach Brendon McCullum and his squad, the result gave the tourists a 1-0 lead in the three-match World Test Championship series ahead of the second Test, also scheduled to take place in Multan next week.

Sources

• International Cricket Council (ICC)
• England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)