Harry Brook is the first Englishman in 34 years to hit a Test triple century.
Source: Hindustan Times
Harry Brook made history on the fourth day of the opening Test against Pakistan in Multan by scoring his first-ever triple century in a stunning show of dominance. The 25-year-old, who has been impressing on the international stage, reached this milestone with a boundary off spinner Saim Ayub, becoming only the sixth Englishman to achieve a triple century in Test cricket.
Brook’s incredible 300 came off just 310 balls, featuring 28 fours and three sixes, putting England in a dominant position. He was eventually dismissed for 317 off just 322 deliveries.
Harry Brook broke Virender Sehwag’s 20-year-old record at Multan, where the former Indian batter scored 309 against Pakistan. It was the highest individual score at the venue and the only triple century in Multan until Thursday.
Brook’s innings is the latest highlight in his impressive Test career. After scoring three centuries during England’s 3-0 series win in Pakistan in 2022, he has established himself as one of the brightest young talents in English cricket. His knock in Multan places him among English legends like Andy Sandham, Len Hutton, Wally Hammond, Graham Gooch, and Bill Edrich, who have all crossed the 300-run mark in Tests.
Gooch was the last batter to have scored a triple century for England before Brook, scoring 333 against India at Lord’s.
Harry Brook arrived to bat on Day 3 of the Test, with England comfortably placed at 249/3 in the 50th over. Alongside Root, Brook stitched an incredible 454-run stand for the fourth wicket.
While Brook’s heroics took centre stage, his senior partner Joe Root was unlucky to fall short of his own triple century, dismissed for 262 by Agha Salman just after lunch. The pair’s monumental partnership helped England pile up a mammoth total going past the 800-run mark, giving them a lead of over 200 against Pakistan’s first-innings score of 556.
Criticism over pitch conditions
Despite Brook’s impressive performance and England’s dominance, the achievement has sparked criticism over the Multan pitch. Initially described as a bowler-friendly surface by Pakistan head coach Jason Gillespie, it has turned out to heavily favor the batters. Critics argue that the pitch is yet another example of Pakistan’s recent trend of creating flat tracks that offer little support for bowlers.
This comes after the controversy over the Rawalpindi pitch in 2022, which received two demerit points for being excessively batter-friendly.
Now, with Multan facing similar criticism, there is a growing consensus that such pitches, while enabling high scores and individual records, could ultimately harm the future of Test cricket.
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