England's record-breaking runscoring is testament to their incredible spirit, says chief cricket writer Stephan Shemilt
Joe Root and Harry Brook became the first two England batters to record scores in excess of 250 in the same Test inningsTwo days ago, England had shipped 556, had an opener with a dislocated thumb and a stand-in captain out for a duck.
We'll get to Harry Brook, Joe Root and the numbers, but it is worth reflecting on the final month of England's summer, in order to give the beginning of their winter some context. He demands that his players buy in and give everything to the team. Full commitment is a non-negotiable. Not once in the build-up to the first Test, either in public or private, did an England player or member of staff say the heat would be an issue.When the tourists were required to spend 149 overs in the field after losing the toss, their spirit was tested, but never close to breaking.
Brook would probably like England to play of all their Test cricket in Pakistan. In four Tests here he has more runs, 785, than his 761 in 13 matches in the UK. For Brook, who admitted he was merely trying to beat his father David's highest score of 210, it was also testament to a fitness regime implemented when he missed England's tour of India earlier this year.
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