Joe Root said there are “many more runs still to get” after he overhauled Sir Alastair Cook to become England’s all-time leading Test runscorer.
Root went past Cook’s mark of 12,472 when he got to 71 on day three of the first Test against Pakistan in Multan.
The 33-year-old carried on and on, registering his 35th Test century and batting through the day for his unbeaten 176, taking England to 492-3 and a deficit of only 64 runs.
“I’m obviously proud, but still feel there’s plenty more left to do,” said Root.
Root’s tireless effort in the heat, allied to 141 not out from Harry Brook, has put England in a strong position in the series opener, despite Pakistan racking up 556 in their first innings.
Only once before have England conceded more runs in the first innings of a match and gone on to win, 130 years ago against Australia in 1894.
“I’m sure I’ll look back at it when I’m finished and be very proud of it, but I think more than anything just the way we played today as a team is what stands out,” said Root.
“We’ve still got an opportunity to win the game, which is really exciting. Hopefully we can kick on tomorrow.”
Root is playing his 147th Test, 12 years after making his England debut in India.
By passing Cook, Root has climbed to fifth on the all-time list of Test runscorers from all nations, behind greats of the game Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar tops the list with 15,921, just over 3,000 ahead of Root.
