Following Joe Root’s double hundred and Harry Brook’s outstanding triple century, England’s bowlers forced Pakistan to collapse at the batting after they were leading the first Test in Multan on Thursday.
In England’s massive 823-7 declared, Brook hammered 317 and Root a record-breaking 262, giving the visitors a 267-run lead.
By the end of the fourth day, Pakistan’s response was struggling at 152-6, with Agha Salman at 41 and Aamer Jamal at 27 not out.
The home team still needs to score 115 runs to win the innings, but the two put up a valiant 70 for the seventh wicket.
The match quickly changed course because to Pakistan’s collapse after 1,379 runs were achieved on a flat pitch at Multan Stadium with just 17 wickets lost.
Before Chris Woakes bowled opener Abdullah Shafique with the first delivery of their second innings, England amassed the fourth-highest innings in Test cricket history thanks to a 454-run partnership between Brook and Root.
It surpassed the 411-run fourth-wicket partnership between Peter May and Colin Cowdrey against the West Indies at Birmingham in 1957, becoming England’s greatest in Test history.
Thirty-three minutes before tea, England declared their innings, and the opening ball of the innings saw Chris Woakes remove Abdullah Shafique.
Pakistan’s second innings collapse was well-known; captain Shan Masood (11), Babar Azam (five), and Saim Ayub (25), all out before the total reached fifty, were the victims.
Masood was dropped twice on five and seven, but bowler Gus Atkinson, who also caught Azam behind with a crisp delivery, miscued a drive off pace.
Mohammad Rizwan fell for ten against fast bowler Brydon Carse, making it 5-59.
When spinner Jack Leach entered the game, Saud Shakeel and Agha guided Pakistan to 82 runs before Shakeel was caught behind for 29.
Carse has statistics of 2-39, and Atkinson has 2-28.
Brook and Root relished a career-best knockout party.
After hitting the milestone after 310 balls, Brook finished his triple century with a boundary off part-time bowler Ayub. However, he was caught by Masood after top-edging a sweep off the same bowler.
In his 439 minutes at the wicket, he hit 29 fours and three sixes.
Root, who on Wednesday eclipsed Alastair Cook’s record of 12,472 runs for England in the Test match, was leg-before trapped by Agha, preventing him from reaching a triple century following a ten-hour stay in which he smashed 17 fours.
Naseem Shah (2-157) and Ayub (2-101) were Pakistan’s most productive bowlers.
Despite Pakistan’s protective leg-side bowling, England found a way to score quickly when they restarted on 492-3 in the morning thanks to the contributions of Root and Brook, who amassed 166 runs in 29 overs.
2016 saw Root set a previous record of 254 against Pakistan in Manchester. Brook’s previous high score, achieved in Wellington last year against New Zealand, was 186.
The opening hour presented Pakistan’s only opportunity when Root, at 186, failed to hold down a draw shot off Shah, but Azam mishandled the decisive chance at mid-wicket.
In 517 minutes off 305 balls, Root took full advantage of the situation and finished his sixth Test double-century with a single off spinner Salman.
Front-line spinner Abrar Ahmed was not available for action for Pakistan on Thursday because to a fever.
