Dubai: Former England skipper Alastair Cook feels that Joe Root might be in striking distance to overhaul Sachin Tendulkar’s record, but the Indian legend is still the favourite to keep it.
The England batter has been in top form, amassing 1,300 runs in 23 innings this year, including five centuries and four fifties. With 12,716 runs, the 33-year-old can get further close to the record during the third and final Test against Pakistan, which begins in Rawalpindi on Thursday.
“I had said that Root has got an opportunity to beat Sachin, who is still the favourite because he’s got runs on the board. Runs on the board is like going into the fourth innings, always more important. He might or he might not get there, but the one thing I know about Joe Root is, he is the greatest English batter I’ve seen in all three formats. So whatever total he ends up with, we’re privileged to watch Joe go at it,” former England skipper Cook told Gulf News during the ICC and Emirates Cricket Board gala dinner event in celebration of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup and the newest inductees into the ICC Hall of Fame, including Cook, AB de Villiers, and Neetu David.
Record-breaking potential
Root, one of the most accomplished modern day batter and who has recently broke Cook’s record as England’s highest scorer in Tests, is 3,205 runs away from Tendulkar’s tally of 15,922 at the top, having played 52 fewer innings than the Indian legend during his 24-year career. However, Root is far behind in terms of centuries, with 35 in Tests and 15 in One-Day Internationals, while Tendulkar boasts 100 tons — 51 in Tests and 49 in ODIs.
There was a time when Cook seemed poised to threaten Tendulkar’s record, with his consistent century-making ability putting the left-hander in prime position to overtake it. Cook showcased his potential by leading England to a rare series triumph in India during the 2012 series, scoring three centuries. Incidentally, Root made his debut during that series, scoring 73 in the first innings of the drawn fourth Test in Nagpur.
Left on a high
Cook feels he has done his best and left the game with his head held high. “I was as good as everyone thought I was. Life moves on, really. I threw everything into my career the best I could be, running and swimming in the morning to become the best I could be. And the end result was what it was. The captaincy, everything with it, that’s what I got, but I don’t look at that as anything different. I got out of the game where I thought was the best time for me with my head held high — walking off the Oval, I’ll never swap anything from it,” he said.
Cook, who finished with 12,472 runs in 161 Tests with 33 centuries, clarified that the stress of captaincy had nothing to do with him losing his scoring momentum.
“I was very fortunate to be offered the England captaincy. It was a great moment of pride, and we had some great moments, as well as some tough ones. I lost the Ashes 5-0 as a captain, but 18 months later, we won the Ashes back. It’s the greatest job I could ever do,” said the 39-year-old, who retired in 2018 despite scoring 147 in his final innings at the age of 33.
Spin challenge
After scoring a double century in the first Test, Root struggled on a spin-friendly pitch during the second Test in Multan. He could be facing a rejuvenated Pakistan spin attack on a similar surface.
Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Noman Ali and right-arm off-spinner Sajid Khan played key roles in dismissing England for 144 while chasing a challenging target of 297.
“The last game was incredibly tough. I’ve been there in the fourth innings with a sub-continent tour. The one thing we can say about this England’s side is had England won the toss in the last game, things could have been different. Pakistan gambled and they have won the gamble. And what it does set up for is a brilliant last Test match,” Cook added.
Inspired by their success in Multan, Pakistan is preparing the pitch with windbreaks, industrial-sized fans, and patio heaters, hoping to secure their first series win since defeating South Africa in 2021.
England head coach Brendon McCullum and skipper Ben Stokes inspected the pitch at length ahead of the team’s practice on Tuesday.
“Everybody goes and looks at the wicket and everybody says something different,” England batsman Harry Brook told reporters. “Hopefully, it’s like any other Pakistani pitch, and it’s good to bat on for the first few days, and then, hopefully, we get some turn out on it at the back end of the game.”
Team combinations for the decisive Test
Considering the prospect of a spin battle, England has included leg-break bowler Rehan Ahmed as a third spinner, to support Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir. Pakistan is likely to retain the combination of three spinners with just one seamer from the second Test.
“We are trying to have the same kind of pitch that can favour us as we want to win the match,” said left-handed batsman Saud Shakeel.
— With inputs from AFP
