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• Brook has everything to become England's 'best ever', says Anderson

  Harry Brook has all the attributes needed to become England's best ever batter after his sensational knock against Pakistan, so says James Anderson. 

  Brook became the first England batter in 34 years to score a triple-century when his side thrashed Pakistan by an innings and 47 runs in their first Test of the three-match series. 

  In the same Test, Root scored 262, and in doing so he passed Alastair Cook's previous England best of 12,472 career runs, placing him fifth on the all-time list. 

  Brook's career-best knock of 317 took him to 1,875 runs in 19 Tests and 31 innings ahead of the second encounter in Multan that starts on Monday. 

  The 25-year-old has a chance to become the fastest Englishman to 2,000 Test runs, beating the 22 matches and 33 innings of Herbert Sutcliffe in 1928.

  And Anderson, who is England's all-time leading wicket taker in Test matches, showered praise on Brook, likening him to Kevin Pietersen. 

  "He's on the way to being in the top three that I've played with," Anderson said on his Tailenders podcast. 

  "It's Root, Pietersen and him. He's definitely got all the attributes to overtake them.

  "He's just got everything. Without trying to big him up too much because he's still really early in his Test career.

  "I do think that he's got the perfect amount of each of those two and that's what will make him the best that we've ever had."

  Pietersen scored 8,181 runs when his 104-Test career ended in 2014, 170 fewer than Brook has managed after 19 Tests as a comparison.

  England's stunning 823-7 declared was their highest total in Test cricket since 1938 as they took a 1-0 series lead against Pakistan on Friday.

  The 556 England conceded in Pakistan’s first innings was the highest total any team had overturned to then go on and earn an innings victory.

  Brook and Root shared a partnership of 454, England’s highest of all time for any wicket and the fourth-highest by any Test pair.

  "The thing that's really similar between Joe and Harry is that they love batting," said Anderson. "They literally couldn't care less what format it is. They just want to bat.

  "They want to have fun doing it. As much as Harry's the younger player and will be learning loads from Rooty, I still think Rooty learns from him as well.

  "Joe's one of those sorts of players that wants to keep developing and bettering himself, and he does watch other players and try to add bits to his game.

  "I'm sure he's doing that with Harry."

• Stokes could return for England’s second Test against Pakistan, hints Pope

  England stand-in captain Ollie Pope has hinted that Ben Stokes could return to the team for their second Test match against Pakistan in Multan, starting on Tuesday. 

  With Stokes still nursing a hamstring injury, England cruised to an emphatic innings victory against Pakistan at the same venue in the opener, inspired by the brilliant batting performances of Harry Brook (317) and Joe Root (262).

  The win by an innings and 47 runs, which came early on the fifth day, saw the tourists become the first team in Test cricket history to concede more than 500 runs in the first innings but still end up winning the match by an innings.

  Asked about team news for the second of the three Tests on the tour, Pope let slip that Stokes could be involved.

  “I don’t know. I'm actually not 100 per cent sure,” he added.

  “He's been training really well this week. He's as keen as ever to get playing again, so fingers crossed he's all good.”

  Pope has deputised as England captain after full-time skipper Stokes suffered a hamstring injury in August which saw him miss the home Test series against Sri Lanka.

  The 33-year-old was included in the England squad for the Pakistan tour and was expected to return for the first Test, but failed to recover in time as the visitors scripted cricketing history in Multan. 

• Sammy highlights Windies depth, readiness for T20I, ODI assignments against Sri Lanka

  West Indies white-ball Head Coach Darren Sammy is brimming with confidence about his squad’s readiness as they prepare to kick start their tour of Sri Lanka with the first of three T20Is on Sunday.

  Sammy’s confidence stems from the fact that most, if not all, of his players benefitted from the intensity and high-level competition of the recently-concluded Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season, which served as ideal preparation for them to deliver competitive performances in what will be a challenging tour in subcontinental conditions.

  Following their three-match T20 series, which ends next Thursday, Sammy’s side will also engage their host in a three-match ODI series, scheduled to begin on October 20.

  “The good thing is we are coming from our Caribbean Premier League, so most, if not all, the guys have been playing cricket, which is a plus when you have a series that comes so close after a tournament. So, us travelling here to Sri Lanka, the most important thing is the recovery of the guys,” Sammy shared shortly after arriving in Sri Lanka.

  “So we are going to have a couple days to do that and a training session before our first game on Sunday. But looking from what transpired in the CPL, my guys are ready to take on a really strong Sri Lanka team,” he added.

  

  Brandon King gathers his gears shortly after arrival. (Photo: Daily Mirror)

  Sammy, who has always been vocal about fostering a winning culture within the team, emphasized that the squad’s depth would be a crucial factor in the upcoming series.

  This, as the Caribbean side, West Indies, will be bolstered by the inclusion of fresh faces like all-rounders Terrence Hinds and Shamar Springer, both of whom have been rewarded for their strong domestic performances. Sammy expressed his excitement about seeing how these new talents integrate with the more experienced members of the team.

  “If you notice, we are trying the depth of our squad. We've given some guys some opportunities with the World Cup coming up in less than 20 months, so with some of our senior players being unavailable, I'm looking to see how far, how great our depth could be. But, obviously, the main purpose is to win series,” Sammy declared.

  “We've been doing well so far and giving guys opportunities to build and develop, so I'm really excited. Sri Lanka is a young team; since Jayasuriya took over, there's been a new energy and confidence in that team. So it will be a good series for us and a good tester for us to see where we are in the depth that we have in the Caribbean,” he reasoned.

  Sammy also pointed out that the inclusion of players like Hinds and Springer reflects the broader strategy of building a versatile squad capable of adjusting to different match situations and conditions.

  “Obviously the roles that they are going to be playing, especially with the ball in the backend, is a role that we are looking for and trying to find specific guys to do that. So this series, although it's short—only three games—gives them the opportunity to see and have a taste of the international flavour of cricket.

  

  Members of the West Indies delegation. (Photo: Daily Mirror)

  “So hopefully, when the opportunity comes, we could judge where they are. But I have full confidence from what I saw in the Caribbean Premier League—the skill set, the temperament they've shown already. That's why they are here with us, and I'm looking forward to what they could do on the international scene,” Sammy noted.

  While the conditions will undoubtedly require adjustments, Sammy’s optimism stems from the team’s diverse skill set.

  “The conditions, based on the data that Avenesh [Seetaram] has given us, are that the pitches are good for batting, and just looking at the recent Lanka Premier League, some of the places we played in Dambulla and Gandhi are places that produce high-scoring matches.

  “So we will assess the conditions like we always do, and Avenesh will be spot on in giving us the data that we need to help us prepare, plan, and strategize, and I think we are more than ready,” he ended.