Harry Brook and Joe Root blasted quickfire fifties as England set Pakistan an imposing 343-run target to win the opening Test on the fourth day in Rawalpindi on Sunday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Brook's fiery 65-ball 87 and Root's 69-ball 73 saw England race to 264-7 before skipper Ben Stokes called his batters back to the pavilion, leaving the home side a maximum 130 overs to see out.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
England are playing their first Test series in Pakistan for 17 years, and have brought a limited-overs aggression to their batting in the first of three matches.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Brook was bowled in Naseem Shah's last over before tea, adding 218 runs in the session after resuming at 46-2 after lunch.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Liam Livingstone remained unbeaten on seven.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Brook smashed 11 boundaries and three sixes in a swashbuckling knock, narrowly missing a century in each innings after his 153 in England's first-innings run-fest of 657.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The middle-order batter added 96 for the fourth wicket with Root who scored his 55th Test half-century, which included six boundaries.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood dismissed Root and Stokes (nought) in the same over to finish with figures of 2-84.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Naseem took 2-66 and Mohammad Ali 2-64.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Opener Zak Crawley had earlier raced to a 48-ball 50 with seven boundaries while Ollie Pope (15) and Will Jacks (24) were the other contributors.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Jacks was the pick of the England bowlers, bagging 6-161 to help his side gain a 78-run first-innings lead.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
England's innings started with a first-over dismissal as Ben Duckett -- one of four first-innings centurions -- was caught at slip off the second ball of pacer Naseem Shah for a golden duck.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Fellow centurion Pope cracked two boundaries before hooking fast bowler Ali into the hands of Naseem.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Earlier, debutant Jacks took all three wickets to fall after Pakistan resumed at 499-7 -- but not before the host's tail-enders scored freely on a much-maligned flat Rawalpindi Stadium pitch.<\/p>\r\n\r\n