“Triple Centurion Brook is delighted to break his father’s club record”

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England's rising batting star Harry Brook said he was delighted to have finally surpassed his father's highest club score against Pakistan in Multan on Thursday.

The 25-year-old smashed a career-best 317 which, along with Joe Root's 262, helped the visitors reach 823-7 – the fourth-highest total in all of Test cricket – England's third-best performance.

With a huge lead of 267 runs over Pakistan in the first innings, England caught the home team at 152-6. In the end, Pakistan still needed 115 to avoid an innings defeat on the final day of Friday.

Brook said his father's highest score was the goal.

“I just wanted to beat my dad’s high score of 210,” Brook said of his father David’s score in a club game for Burnley in 2001.

Brook had missed the chance to surpass his father's best when he scored 186 against New Zealand in Wellington last year.

“I told you that before. To be honest, I was pretty happy when I got over his score.”

Brook said he was pleased to be able to contribute to the team's strong position.

“I'm at a loss for words to be honest, I'm just happy that the team is in a strong position to win the game tomorrow morning. This is an incredible thing.”

Brook and Root enjoyed a run-fest on the flat pitch of the Multan Stadium, scoring a big 454 for the fourth wicket, England's highest partnership in Tests.

It surpassed the 411-run fourth-wicket partnership of Peter May and Colin Cowdrey against the West Indies in Birmingham in 1957.

“It was wonderful batting with Rooty,” Brook said. “We talked about how the game was progressing and how we would go out after lunch to try to step on the gas and get a decent lead.”

“You feel so comfortable watching him at the other end, he makes the game look so easy and he plays the ball so late and makes the balls look slow.”

Brook completed his triple century with a boundary against part-timer Saim Ayub, reaching the 310-ball mark before top-edging a swing from the same bowler and being caught by Shan Masood.

Brook hit 29 fours and three sixes in his 439-minute stay at the crease.

It was Brooks' sixth Test century and his fourth against Pakistan, having made three in as many Tests in 2022, as England beat Pakistan 3-0.

sh/pb