Joe Root. (Source – Getty Images)
Joe Root scored yet another century in Test cricket and converted it into a double hundred on Day 4 of the first Test against Pakistan in Multan. In the series against Sri Lanka, the 33-year-old broke the record for most centuries by an England batter in Test cricket history, and in the first game against Pakistan, he once again got going and overtook former cricketer Alastair Cook to become the leading run-scorer for England in Test cricket history.
The Sheffield-born cricketer played a marathon knock in Multan, which wasn’t easy, given the conditions. The extreme heat made it difficult for the players and Root himself suffered from cramps and dehydration but nothing could disrupt his mental toughness. Notably, he needed just 72 runs to break Cook’s record and now, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting are ahead of him in the all-time list.
After breaking the record on Day 3, Root assured that he is in no mood to stop and wants to score plenty more runs for England. He stated to be hungry to score more runs and has this belief that his next century will always be better than the current one.
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“I’m obviously proud but I still feel there’s plenty more left to do and many more runs to get. I always think your best (hundred) is your next one. You’ve got to keep staying hungry and willing to find ways of contributing, ways of getting better,” Root was quoted as saying by The Standard.
“I’m sure I’ll be looking back on it at some point when I’m finished and be very proud of it.. but we’ve still got an opportunity to go and win this game which is exciting. We’ll see (how it feels) at the end of the Test match,” he added.
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Meanwhile, alongside Root, youngster Harry Brook completed his double century as well. England were leading by 102 runs until Lunch on Day 4.