Joe Root and Harry Brook stitched an epic fourth-wicket partnership of 454 runs as England made a mockery of Pakistan's first innings total of 556 in the first Test. (More Sports News)
Root, 33, eventually got out for 262 after facing 375 deliveries. Trapped in front by Agha Salman in the 137th over, the former England captain walked off without a fuse even as rival players hovered around him to congratulate the batting great, one who has accumulated 12664 runs in 147 Tests.
He's now England's most prolific scorer and fifth in the all-time list, behind Sachin Tendulkar (15921 in 200), Ricky Ponting (13378 in 168), Jacques Kallis (13289 in 166), and Rahul Dravid (13288 in 164).
Even as Root was readying to take off his effects for a deserving afternoon siesta in the City of Saints, Brook continued his onslaught against an utterly demoralised Pakistani bowlers and fielders.
Having already become the first-ever batter to score centuries in four successive Test matches in Pakistan, the 25-year-old from Yorkshire raced to his maiden triple century, in just 310 deliveries (28 fours, three sixes) to give England enough elbow room for a declaration, and to force a result in this stats-riddled match. England's lead was getting bigger and bigger with every passing delivery.
And one number that enamoured everyone was that stand, between Root and Brook, lasting 522 balls. With that, here's a look at the 10 highest partnerships of all time.
| No | Batters | Runs | Wicket | For | Against | Venue | Year |
| 1 | Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene | 624 | 3rd | Sri Lanka | South Africa | Colombo (SSC) | 2006 |
| 2 | Roshan Mahanama, Sanath Jayasuriya | 576 | 2nd | Sri Lanka | India | Colombo (RPS) | 1997 |
| 3 | Andrew Jones, Martin Crowe | 467 | 3rd | New Zealand | Sri Lanka | Wellington | 1991 |
| 4 | Joe Root, Harry Brook | 454 | 4th | England | Pakistan | Multan | 2024 |
| 5 | Bill Ponsford, Donald Bradman | 451 | 2nd | Australia | England | London (The Oval) | 1934 |
| 6 | Mudassar Nazar, Javed Miandad | 451 | 3rd | Pakistan | India | Hyderabad (Pakistan) | 1983 |
| 7 | Adam Voges, Shaun Marsh | 449 | 4th | Australia | West Indies | Hobart | 2015 |
| 8 | Conrad Hunte, Garry Sobers | 446 | 2nd | West Indies | Pakistan | Kingston | 1958 |
| 9 | Marvan Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara | 438 | 2nd | Sri Lanka | Zimbabwe | Bulawayo | 2004 |
| 10 | Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera | 437 | 4th | Sri Lanka | Pakistan | Karachi | 2009 |
For the record, England's previous best was 411 by Colin Cowdrey and Peter May against the West Indies at Edgbaston in 1957. Recuperating captain Ben Stokes was involved in a 399-run stand with Jonny Bairstow against South Africa at Cape Town in 2016.
On a flat Multan deck, Pakistan won the toss and batted first. Opener Abdullah Shafique (102), skipper Shan Masood (151) and all-rounder Agha Salman (104 not out) hit centuries to post a first innings total of 556 all out.
Their effort, however, paled in comparison as England produced possibly the greatest batting effort by any visiting team.
