Joe Root and Harry Brook shattered records left, right and centre on the fourth day of the first Test against Pakistan in Multan. The duo added a mammoth 454 runs together, the highest for the fourth wicket in the history of Test cricket. Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh earlier held the record adding 449 runs together against the West Indies in Hobart in December 2015.
Highest partnership for fourth wicket in Test cricket
| Batting Partners | Runs | Opponents | Year |
| Joe Root - Harry Brook | 454 | Pakistan | 2024 |
| Adam Voges - Shaun Marsh | 449 | West Indies | 2015 |
| Thilan Samaraweera - Mahela Jayawardene | 437 | Pakistan | 2009 |
Brook and Root had joined hands when the team's score was 249/3 and they plundered runs at will to not lose a wicket for a staggering 519 deliveries. In the process, Brook notched up his maiden triple century, second fastest in Tests only behind Virender Sehwag while Root also registered his career-best score of 262 runs.
The 454-run partnership between Harry Brook and Joe Root is also the highest ever against Pakistan for any wicket in the history of Test cricket. Conrad Hunte and Gary Sobers had stitched 446 runs together in 1958 in Kingston only to see their record being broken 66 years later.
Interestingly, the Brook-Root duo has also broken a record involving legendary Don Bradman with their partnership. The 454-run partnership between them is now the highest by a visiting pair in any country in the longest format of the game. Bradman and Bill Ponsford had added 451 runs against England for the second wicket way back in 1934.
Highest partnership by a visiting pair in Test cricket
| Batting Partners | Runs | Opponents | Year |
| Joe Root - Harry Brook (England) | 454 | Pakistan | 2024 |
| Don Bradman - Will Ponsford (Australia) | 451 | England | 1934 |
| Marvan Atapattu - Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) | 438 | Zimbabwe | 2004 |
As far as the match is concerned, England are on the verge of a famous win in Multan. On the back of Root and Brook's heroics with the bat, the visitors amassed 823 runs for the loss of seven wickets before declaring their innings with a lead of 267 runs. Pakistan batters looked tired and clueless in their second essay and collapsed on a serene batting surface.
Fast bowlers Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse bent their backs to generate some lift out of the pitch and the likes of Shan Masood, Babar Azam and others succumbed to pressure. At one stage, the hosts were reeling at 82/6 and there was a possibility of the match ending on the fourth day itself. But Salman Ali Agha and Aamer Jamal dug in for the last hour or so to make sure the match went into the final day.
Pakistan ended the day at 152/6 after 37 overs but are still trailing by 115 runs and have an entire day to try and save the Test match which looks unlikely as of now.
