Dravid the next target as Root blasts Test century No.35 in Multan
Root drew within one Test century of India great Rahul Dravid when scoring his 35th Test hundred against Pakistan on Wednesday.
England batter moved up to sixth overall on the list for most Test centuries following another sensational hundred against Pakistan on Wednesday.
Root finished the third day of the first Test in Multan unbeaten on 176* as England reached 492/3 at the close in response to Pakistan's first innings total of 556.
Records tumbled as England batters dominated Day 3 of the Multan Test.#WTC25 | #PAKvENG 📝: https://t.co/MDLkrNVEFp pic.twitter.com/JYCKSi2rgA
— ICC (@ICC) October 9, 2024
It was Root's 35th Test century of his career, taking the right-hander's tally past the 34 Test hundreds achieved by Pakistan's Younis Khan, India's Sunil Gavaskar, West Indies' Brian Lara and Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardena.
Root now trails India great Rahul Dravid (36) by one Test century, with only five players boasting more Test hundreds than the England star.
Most Test centuries - Men's
| PLAYER | TEST 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 |
| Younis Khan (Pakistan) | 34 |
| Sunil Gavaskar (India) | 34 |
| Brian Lara (West Indies) | 34 |
| Mahela Jayawardena (Sri Lanka) | 34 |
Root's innings also saw him become the fifth-highest run scorer in Test cricket, with his tally of 12,578 runs at the close of play taking him past former teammate Alastair Cook.
Most Test runs - Men's Cricket
| PLAYER | RUNS |
| Sachin Tendulkar (India) | 15,921 |
| Ricky Ponting (Australia) | 13,378 |
| Jacques Kallis (South Africa) | 13,289 |
| Rahul Dravid (India) | 13,288 |
| Joe Root (England) | 12,578 |
While the former England captain stole the headlines for his unbeaten knock on day three of the Test, teammate Harry Brook also managed a century as he reached 141* at the close in an unbeaten partnership of 243 with Root.
Opener Zak Crawley (78) and No.4 Ben Duckett (84) were the only two wickets to fall on a day dominated by England's batters, with Shaheen Afridi (1/88) and Aamer Jamal (1/78) the wicket-takers.