Joe Root surpasses four legendary cricketers with 35th century in first Test vs Pakistan in Multan
Joe Root continues to scale higher mountains in Test cricket with his batting in the format. He has notched up his 35th century in the ongoing first Test against Pakistan in Multan. Earlier, he went past Alastair Cook to become the highest run-scorer for England in the format.
Joe Root's dream run in Tests continued on the Pakistan tour as well. He notched up his 35th century in the format today during the third day's play of the ongoing first Test against Pakistan in Multan. With this ton, he has gone past the likes of Brian Lara, Sunil Gavaskar, Mahela Jayawardene and Younis Khan in the list of players with the most centuries in the longest format of the game.
The former England captain is now at the sixth position in this list and Rahul Dravid is the next on his radar who finished with 36 tons in the format. He came out to bat in the second over of the innings itself late on the second day after Pakistan amassed 556 runs in the first innings. Right from the word go, Root never looked in any sort of trouble during his stay in the middle and tumbled several records on his way.
On the way to his 35th Test ton, Root completed 5000 runs in the World Test Championship (WTC) becoming the first batsman to do so since its inception in 2019. After he reached the 71-run mark, the 33-year-old also became the highest run-scorer for England in the history of Test cricket going past former captain Alastair Cook.
Most centuries in Test cricket
| Players | Centuries |
| Sachin Tendulkar (India) | 51 |
| Jacques Kallis (South Africa) | 45 |
| Ricky Ponting (Australia) | 41 |
| Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) | 38 |
| Rahul Dravid (India) | 36 |
| Joe Root (England) | 35 |
As far as the Test match is concerned, for now, it is heading towards a tame draw as the pitch in Multan is not showing any signs of wear and tear. England have crossed the 350-run mark with only three wickets down and are trailing by around 200 runs only. Their attacking style of play has kept Pakistan on their toes. England might look to force the result in case they manage to get a substantial lead in the first innings.