Melbourne, Dec 26: England batter Harry Brook etched his name into the history books on the opening day of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, becoming the joint second-fastest Englishman to reach 3,000 Test runs in terms of innings played.
Brook brought up the milestone when he took his seventh run during a frenetic first day, matching a record set 76 years ago by Denis Compton. Both batters required 57 innings to reach the landmark, with Compton achieving the feat during the Lord’s Test against New Zealand in 1949.
The record for the fastest England player to 3,000 Test runs remains with Herbert Sutcliffe, who reached the mark in just 52 innings during the Nottingham Test of the 1930 Ashes series.In the broader context of Test cricket, Australia great Don Bradman continues to hold the outright record, having raced to 3,000 runs in only 33 innings.
He is followed by West Indies legends Everton Weekes and Brian Lara, along with Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne, all of whom reached the milestone in the low-to-mid 50s innings range.
Brook’s achievement places him among an elite list of Test greats, including Neil Harvey, Viv Richards, Gary Sobers, Virender Sehwag and Clyde Walcott, underlining the rapid impact the England star has made at the highest level of the game.Reaching the milestone at the iconic MCG on Boxing Day only added to the significance of the moment, further cementing Brook’s reputation as one of the most prolific batters of his generation in the longest format.
Brook’s landmark, achieved on one of cricket’s grandest stages, stood out as a rare bright moment on a dramatic opening day and reinforced his growing stature in Test cricket.
