Exactly three months after Gareth Southgate announced he would step down as England's head coach, Thomas Tuchel has been named as his permanent successor.

Tuchel has signed an 18-month contract to take charge of the Three Lions, which will begin on January 1, with interim boss Lee Carsley remaining at the helm until the conclusion of their Nations League campaign.

The experienced German coach certainly ticks the FA's box in terms of appointing "a proven winner", having won league titles in two different countries as well as the Champions League and Club World Cup.

Here, we look at the key numbers in the career of the former Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich coach.

Third time lucky?

Having been out of work since leaving Bayern at the end of last season, Tuchel becomes the 16th permanent manager to take charge of England.

The first German to take over the Three Lions' reins, he is only the third non-English coach to do so, following in the footsteps of the late Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

The 51-year-old arrives in the job with a 57.3% win ratio across his career, winning 331 of his 578 matches.

Unlike Eriksson and Capello, who were unable to add international silverware to their glittering CVs, Tuchel also takes up the role with previous experience of coaching in England following his 19-month spell with Chelsea.

With England having reached two successive European Championship finals under Southgate, he will hope to provide them with that missing ingredient to get them over the line.

Thomas Tuchel. Our #ThreeLions head coach from 2025.

Previous English experience

Tuchel's time in England with Chelsea was relatively brief, lasting 589 days and 100 games, but it ultimately proved to be successful.

A runner-up with PSG the previous year, he became the first coach to reach successive European finals with two different clubs when he guided the Blues to glory in 2021.

Tuchel also added the Club World Cup later that year, and went on to be the first manager in the club's history to reach the final in each of the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

No Chelsea manager has reached more major domestic or European finals than the 51-year-old (four), whose 60% win rate is the fourth-highest of any Blues boss to take charge of at least 100 matches.

Although, statistically, the west London side slightly tailed off defensively towards the end of his tenure. After registering 31 clean sheets in his first 50 matches in charge, they kept just 18 in his second 50 at the helm.

Bittersweet Bayern tenure

Under Tuchel, Bayern saw their 11-year grip on the Bundesliga title slip at the hands of Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen last season.

Nevertheless, he still managed to make a positive impact at the Allianz Arena after replacing Julian Nagelsmann in March 2023.

As Bayern dramatically snatched the 2022-23 title from under the noses of his former side Borussia Dortmund, he became only the second coach in Bundesliga history to take over a team in the second half of a season and win the league.

The only previous case came in 1993-94, also with Bayern, when Franz Beckenbauer took over from Erich Ribbeck.

Last season, he also became the first German coach to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League with three different clubs, as Bayern were denied a place in the final by eventual winners Real Madrid.

Tuchel's impressive Champions League pedigree is further highlighted by the fact he has the third-highest win percentage in the tournament's history (59.7%), behind only Pep Guardiola (63.6%) and Louis van Gaal (60%).

His appointment will see him link up once more with Three Lions skipper Harry Kane, who scored 44 goals in 45 games during his tenure at the Allianz Arena.

Thomas Tuchel has been confirmed as the new England boss, the Football Association announced on Wednesday.

Tuchel had been out of work since leaving Bayern Munich at the end of last season but will now become the 16th permanent manager to take charge of England.

The German becomes the first non-English boss to lead the Three Lions since Fabio Capello in 2012, and only the third overall, following the Italian and Sven-Goran Eriksson.

In a statement released by the Football Association, Tuchel said: "I am very proud to have been given the honour of leading the England team. 

"I have long felt a personal connection to the game in this country, and it has given me some incredible moments already. 

"To have the chance to represent England is a huge privilege, and the opportunity to work with this special and talented group of players is very exciting. 

"Working closely with Anthony [Barry] as my assistant coach, we will do everything we can to make England successful and the supporters proud. I want to thank the FA for their trust and I am looking forward to starting our journey together."

Lee Carsley had taken interim charge of England following Gareth Southgate's resignation after the 2-1 defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.

Carsley has won three of his four games in charge and will remain in place for England's final two Nations League matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland in November, with Tuchel taking the reins from January 1, assisted by his former Chelsea and Bayern number two Anthony Barry.

Carsley did, however, come under scrutiny after a dismal performance against Greece on October 10, with the Three Lions losing 2-1 at Wembley.

Carsley acknowledged England needed a "world-class coach" who had won silverware, and that is what Tuchel brings to the table.

Tuchel has managed 578 games across his club career, winning 331 (D114 L133), registering a win percentage of 57.3%.

After replacing Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, Tuchel enjoyed a hugely successful spell with Paris Saint-Germain between 2018 and 2020, winning two Ligue 1 titles among his six major honours, and overseeing a win ratio of 74.8% in all competitions.

He subsequently joined Chelsea, leading the Blues to Champions League glory in 2021.

In doing so, he became the first coach to reach consecutive European finals with two different clubs, having guided PSG to their first Champions League showpiece the previous campaign.

He departed Stamford Bridge in 2022, having won 60 of his 100 games in charge (D24 L16), with his win percentage (60%) the fourth-highest of any Chelsea boss who managed at least 100 games.

Tuchel then joined Bayern midway through the 2022-23 season, helping them to their 11th consecutive Bundesliga crown before being replaced by Vincent Kompany after finishing third last term.

But Tuchel's next assignment could be his most difficult yet, with England looking to end their long wait for an international trophy, having last succeeded at the 1966 World Cup.

The 51-year-old also faces a tough act to follow in Southgate, who won 61 of his 102 matches in charge with the Three Lions.

Southgate's 14 wins at major tournaments are the most of any manager in England's history, while they reached more finals (two) in four attempts than they did in their first 23 appearances at the World Cup and Euros.

Only Walter Winterbottom (78) and Alf Ramsey (69) managed more wins than Southgate, while he became only the third England manager to reach 100 games in charge.

Spain cruised into the Nations League quarter-finals after Tuesday's comfortable 3-0 victory over Serbia.

Luis de la Fuente's side eased to a routine win in Cordoba, qualifying for the knockout stages with two games to spare after Switzerland's 2-2 draw with Denmark guaranteed Spain a top-two spot in their group.

Aymeric Laporte opened the scoring after just five minutes, heading into the far corner after a well-worked corner routine allowed Pedro Porro space to deliver.

Mikel Merino's header from Alex Baena's cross was denied by the post soon after, before Spain missed a glorious chance to extend their lead after the interval.

Porro's vicious shot was adjudged to have been handled by Veljko Birmancevic, but Alvaro Morata blazed over with a disappointing 54th-minute penalty.

Captain Morata made amends just 11 minutes later, however, finishing with ease into the bottom corner after Fabian Ruiz profited on Serbia's slack attempts to play out from defence.

Further misery followed for Serbia as Strahinja Pavlovic's last-man challenge on Mikel Oyarzabal was upgraded to a red card following a VAR review, before Baena curled the resulting free-kick past Predrag Rajkovic to seal another Roja win.

Data Debrief: Unbeaten run continues for rampant Roja

De la Fuente masterminded Spain's Euro 2024 triumph, with the best team deservedly triumphing at the tournament in Germany, but La Roja's impressive run started well before that.

Spain are now unbeaten in their last 19 matches across all competitions (W17 D2), excluding friendlies, their best such streak since a 29-game run between June 2010 and June 2013 (W24 D5).

This was a typically dominant performance from the hosts, who accumulated 2.9 expected goals (xG) compared to Serbia's meagre 0.37, as the away side struggled throughout.

Spain took a giant leap to securing Nations League quarter-final progression after Tuesday's comfortable 3-0 victory over Serbia.

Luis de la Fuente's side will need just a point from their last two games in the competition next month after a routine win in Cordoba.

Aymeric Laporte opened the scoring after just five minutes, heading into the far corner after a well-worked corner routine allowed Pedro Porro space to deliver.

Mikel Merino's header from Alex Baena's cross was denied by the post soon after, before Spain missed a glorious chance to extend their lead after the interval.

Porro's vicious shot was adjudged to have been handled by Veljko Birmancevic, but Alvaro Morata blazed over with a disappointing 54th-minute penalty.

Captain Morata made amends just 11 minutes later, however, finishing with ease into the bottom corner after Fabian Ruiz profited on Serbia's slack attempts to play out from defence.

Further misery followed for Serbia as Strahinja Pavlovic's last-man challenge on Mikel Oyarzabal was upgraded to a red card following a VAR review, before Baena curled the resulting free-kick past Predrag Rajkovic to seal another Roja win.

Data Debrief: Unbeaten run continues for rampant Roja

De la Fuente masterminded Spain's Euro 2024 triumph, with the best team deservedly triumphing at the tournament in Germany, but La Roja's impressive run started well before that.

Spain are now unbeaten in their last 19 matches across all competitions (W17 D2), excluding friendlies, their best such streak since a 29-game run between June 2010 and June 2013 (W24 D5).

This was a typically dominant performance from the hosts, who accumulated 2.9 expected goals (xG) compared to Serbia's meagre 0.37, as the away side struggled throughout.

Harry Kane remains unaware of ongoing discussions for Thomas Tuchel to take over as England manager but lauded his "fantastic" former head coach.

The England captain enjoyed a record-breaking debut season for Bayern Munich under Tuchel last campaign, before the 51-year-old was dismissed and replaced by Vincent Kompany.

Kane could reunite with Tuchel soon, however, amid widespread reports on Tuesday that the former Chelsea and Bayern boss has agreed to become England's permanent manager.

Former Tottenham talisman Kane refused to delve too deep into the capabilities of Tuchel due to the ongoing discussions, but still spoke highly of his previous experience with him.

"Until it's announced obviously I can't really comment, but we have to wait and see," the striker told Sky Sports in Germany.

"Obviously, I know Thomas well from last year. [He is a] fantastic coach, fantastic person. I am sure the guys at the FA will contact me, when they know more about it."

Kane scored 36 times in just 32 Bundesliga games last term under Tuchel, breaking the record for the most goals in a debut season in the competition.

However, that was not enough to keep the former Paris Saint-Germain boss in his role at Bayern, who parted ways with Tuchel after his side finished third behind Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart.

Tuchel still maintained an impressive 60.7% winning record across all competitions for Bayern (winning 37 out of 61 matches), a mark he only bettered with Borussia Dortmund (62.6%) and PSG (74.8%).

It may be Tuchel's cup-competition expertise that has drawn England to his skills, though, leading PSG to their first Champions League final in 2020 and winning the same competition with Chelsea a year later.

Indeed, Tuchel has managed 40 Champions League wins in 67 games, with his 59.7% winning ratio more than all but one England manager at major tournaments (World Cup and Euros) – Alf Ramsey had 66.7%.

Time will tell if Tuchel, should he be appointed, can provide a similar winning formula at the 2026 World Cup, where Kane will be delighted to work with his former boss.

Craig Bellamy insists there is still room for improvement for Wales after seeing off Montenegro 1-0 to make it four games without defeat.

Harry Wilson's 36th-minute penalty earned Wales all three points in Monday's Nations League Group B4 clash at Cardiff City Stadium.

Bellamy, who succeeded Rob Page in July, is the first Wales head coach to avoid defeat in his first four games in charge of the senior men's side.

As well as beating Montenegro home and away, Wales have also drawn 0-0 at home to Turkiye and 2-2 in Iceland.

Reflecting on his side's latest win, Bellamy told S4C: "I was impressed by us being able to control the tempo of the second half, but we still need improvement on it.

"You will get breaks and it feels like you can score because they have players forward, but it's also dangerous then for the counter.

"That transitional game becomes a little complicated, whereas in the first half they sat a lot deeper which allows us to really control the tempo of the game. Of course at the moment that really suits us.

"But we have got to stay calm, in transition but even when we have knockdowns and balls in and around.

"You secure the ball and pass to your team-mates and there are still bits for improvement we need, but we were better than last time."

Match-winner Wilson has now been directly involved in nine goals in his past 11 appearances for Wales, as many as in his previous 41 matches.

The Fulham forward kept his place in a much-changed Wales side on the back of Friday's draw in Iceland, which showed seven alterations in all.

Wilson was the star performer in a game Wales dominated for large parts, with Montenegro failing to register a single shot on target.

It means the Dragons have avoided facing an effort on target in two of their past seven matches across all competitions, matching the tally from their previous 34 games.

For all Wales' dominance, though, Montenegro substitute Andrija Radulovic fired a 20-yard drive against the crossbar.

"There were a lot of changes, and a lot of players who all definitely deserved the opportunity to play as well," Bellamy added. "The Nations League is so good and so competitive."

Wales trail leaders Turkiye by two points heading into next month's contest in Kayseri, before the Dragons round off their Nations League campaign at home to Iceland.

Montenegro, bottom of the table without a point and on a record run of six losses in a row, host Iceland and Turkiye in their final two matches.

Jamie Leweling netted the winner on his senior international debut as Germany beat the Netherlands 1-0 in Monday's Nations League clash at the Allianz Arena.

The Stuttgart forward, in for the injured Deniz Undav, had a goal within two minutes of his first cap ruled out after a VAR check showed Serge Gnabry was offside in the build-up.

However, there was no denying Leweling in the 64th minute as the 23-year-old thumped a loose ball inside the box into the bottom corner past Bart Verbruggen to give the hosts a deserved lead in Munich.

Verbruggen had undoubtedly been the busier of the two goalkeepers up until that point, making four saves prior to the breakthrough from Leweling, who also had a goal-bound shot blocked near the line by Stefan de Vrij.

The Netherlands twice went close to equalising in the final 15 minutes, but Oliver Baumann got a faint touch to a long-range Xavi Simons drive to help it onto the crossbar and then superbly helped Donyell Malen's powerful effort wide.

The win moves Germany to 10 points from their first four Group A3 matches, five points clear of the Netherlands and Hungary - 2-0 winners away at Bosnia-Herzegovina - who each have five points with two games remaining.

Data Debrief: Debutants decide the game

Leweling was a threat throughout on his debut as he scored one, had another disallowed and had an effort blocked off the line, generating an expected goals (xG) value of 0.35 - the highest of any player on the field.

Just as key to the victory was fellow Germany debutant Baumann, who produced two big saves in the second half. 

Aged 34 years and 131 days, he became the second-oldest Germany debutant (after Matthias Mauritz) in the post-war era and the oldest goalkeeper to make his debut in the country's history.

Italy moved within touching distance of the Nations League quarter-finals after Giovanni Di Lorenzo's double powered them to a 4-1 triumph over Israel on Monday.

Luciano Spalletti's side will need just a point from either of their last two matches in November to secure progression after a convincing victory in Udine that pushed Israel further towards relegation.

Israel goalkeeper Omri Glazer provided stern resistance in the first half before Mateo Retegui's penalty, awarded for a foul by Dor Peretz on Sandro Tonali, broke the deadlock four minutes before the interval.

Captain Di Lorenzo doubled his side's advantage before the hour, powering a header in from close range after Giacomo Raspadori's inviting free-kick, though Israel halved the deficit with 24 minutes remaining.

Mohamed Abu Fani's corner sneaked past all inside the area, including Guglielmo Vicario, whose appeals for a foul by Dor Peretz were ignored by the officials.

That visiting hope was short-lived, however, as Davide Frattesi swept home a first-time finish from Federico Dimarco's low cross just six minutes after Abu Fani's bizarre goal.

Di Lorenzo capped the scoring 11 minutes from time, profiting from Destiny Udogie's powering run before receiving possession on the edge of the area and drilling into the bottom-left corner.

Data Debrief: Superior finishing the difference

Spalletti will be delighted by his side finishing the game when in control, unlike what they were able to do in Thursday's 2-2 draw with Belgium, largely thanks to the excellence of Di Lorenzo.

The Italy captain scored twice from just two attempts that were worth 0.28 expected goals (xG), suggesting Di Lorenzo's quality of finishing far exceeded the chances on offer.

Since his first goal with the Azzurri, in September 2021 against Lithuania, Di Lorenzo's five goals are also the most by an Italy defender in that period with Dimarco next on three.

Roberto Martinez has "no doubt" Cristiano Ronaldo can play a part for Portugal when they take on Scotland in their Nations League clash as he played down fears of fatigue.

Ronaldo was on the scoresheet in Portugal's 3-1 win over Poland in Warsaw and was substituted off with 63 minutes on the clock.

Martinez's men are top of Nations League Group A1 and there were suggestions Ronaldo may be rested for Tuesday's clash at Hampden Park.

However, the ex-Belgium boss has suggested that will not be the case, with the Al-Nassr forward likely to feature either as a starter or a substitute. 

"I think the age of a player doesn't come to play," he said at a press conference. 

"Ronaldo doesn't work as a 39-year-old player. He doesn't play certainly as a 39-year-old player.

"I think we are assessing every player and how they feel. Cristiano has been working really well in this camp. 

"The difficulty of playing two games away from home is more how can you prepare between the two? How can you recover with the players?"

Argentina dropped points in a second successive CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier, as Venezuela held them to a 1-1 draw in Maturin.

The spoils were shared at Estadio Monumental de Maturin, where Salomon Rondon's second-half header cancelled out Nicolas Otamendi's earlier effort.

After heavy rain delayed kick-off, Argentina took the lead in the 13th minute.

Venezuela goalkeeper Rafael Romo failed to properly clear the returning Lionel Messi's free-kick, and Otamendi reacted quickest to poke home from 12 yards out.

The hosts went close to levelling either side of the break. German Pezzella cleared off the line from Rondon, while Geronimo Rulli - deputising for the suspended Emiliano Martinez - kept out Yangel Herrera's powerful header.

However, Venezuela did grab their equaliser in the 65th minute - and subsequently a point - when Rondon rose at the near post to power home from Yeferson Soteldo's cross.

Messi returned to the international scene for the first time since limping off in tears during the Copa America final.

But the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner could not help Argentina get back to winning ways, while he conceded possession the joint-most times (19) by any visiting player.

The conditions certainly affected the flow of the game, and was more to the suiting of Venezuela. Although they had just 40.1% of possession, the hosts outshot their opponents 16-8.

However, they have now failed to win their last five CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers; their longest streak since going six without victory between June and October 2021.

Erling Haaland became Norway's all-time leading scorer with a brace in their 3-0 victory over Slovenia.

The Manchester City striker was captaining his first nation for the first time, and marked the occasion in trademark record-breaking fashion.

Haaland broke the deadlock after just seven minutes of the Nations League clash at the Ullevaal Stadium, where Alexander Sorloth doubled the lead seven minutes after the restart.

Sorloth then turned provider just after the hour mark for Haaland, who broke Jorgen Juve's 87-year record with his 34th international goal in just 36 caps.

The result put Norway firmly in charge of Group B3 with seven points, three ahead of Austria and Slovenia, with Kazakhstan propping up the table on one point.

Italy dropped their first points of this Nations League campaign, as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Belgium in Rome.

The 10-man Azzurri, who had Lorenzo Pellegrini sent off, were pegged back from 2-0 up at Stadio Olimpico, where Maxim De Cuyper and Leandro Trossard cancelled out earlier efforts from Andrea Cambiaso and Mateo Retegui.

Just 59 seconds had elapsed when Italy broke the deadlock as Federico Dimarco played a one-two with Pellegrini, before his low cross was turned in at the far post by Cambiaso.

It was 2-0 in the 24th minute when Koen Casteeles parried Cambiaso's low drive straight to Retegui, who tapped into an open goal.

However, the Azzurri's momentum was halted after 40 minutes when Pellegrini was shown a straight red card following a VAR review after his late challenge on Arthur Theate.

Belgium quickly took advantage to halve the deficit with a neatly worked free-kick as Youri Tielemans and Trossard combined to tee up De Cuyper, who curled past Gianluigi Donnarumma.

And the comeback was completed just after the hour mark when Wout Faes nodded a deep corner into the six-yard box, where Trossard nipped in ahead of Donnarumma to ensure a share of the spoils.

Data Debrief: Italy's quick start counts for nothing

After back-to-back victories over France and Israel, Italy were quick out of the blocks in their quest to make it three wins from three.

Cambiaso's strike saw the Azzurri score in the opening minute of a match for the first time since June 2013, when Emanuele Giaccherini struck early against Haiti.

However, the pendulum certainly swung away from them following the dismissal of Pellegrini, who became the first Italy player to receive a direct red card since Domenico Criscito against Netherlands in June 2018.

Aryna Sabalenka paid tribute to "legend" Rafael Nadal, acknowledging the retiring Spaniard is "an inspiration to all of us".

The 22-time major winner announced on Thursday via a video on his social media platforms that he will retire from competitive tennis following next month's Davis Cup finals in Malaga.

Nadal's decision - generally expected given his injury struggles in recent years - has been met with widespread tributes throughout the tennis and sporting world.

And WTA number two Sabalenka - the reigning Australian and US Open champion - was the latest big name to salute the 14-time French Open winner, who was dubbed "the King of Clay".

"He's an inspiration for all of us, for the next generation, for current players. He's a legend," Sabalenka told WTA.

"As he said, everything has a beginning and an end. We are all going to be there. I'm really happy for what he was able to achieve. He was inspiration for everyone. He's a hard worker. He definitely had so much love for this sport."

Sabalenka is through to her 11th successive WTA quarter-final at the Wuhan Open after coming from behind to beat Yulia Putintseva 1-6 6-4 6-0.

The reigning champion recovered from losing the opening set - plus a break point at 4-3 down in the second set - to claim his 14th straight victory in Wuhan. 

"In the first set, I was all over the place," she added. "I'm really glad that I was able to put myself together in the second set and things clicked.

"In that game [the eighth in the second set], I was just trying to cool myself down and just to remind myself to keep trying, keep fighting.

"You have to work for it, you have to run, you have to play the point, build the point, find the right shot, then go for it, not rush things. I was just having that conversation in my head all the time.

"After that game, I felt like something clicked. The return was better. The movement was better. The decisions I was making were much better. I felt like that was really the turning point in the match."

Joe Root is targeting "many more runs" after overtaking Alastair Cook as England's all-time leading Test run-scorer.

The 33-year-old surpassed Cook's previous high of 12,472 on day three of the first Test against Pakistan on Wednesday.

Root reached the mark by piling on 71 runs in the blistering Multan heat and reached 176 not out at the end of play with England 492-3.

"I'm obviously proud but still feel there is plenty more left to do, and many more runs left to get," Root is quoted as saying by BBC Sport.

"More than anything, the way we played as a team is what stands out - we've got ourselves back in a really good position."

Root's 12,578 runs consist of 35 centuries, 1,355 fours and 44 sixes, coming across 146 matches.

He is now fifth on the all-time list of run-scorers across all nations, with only Rahul Dravid (13,288), Jacques Kallis (13,289), Ricky Ponting (13,378) and Sachin Tendulkar (15,921) ahead of him.

And with time still on his side age-wise, Cook has backed the man who took his England record to overtake each of those legendary names.

"I would be betting on Root to do it," Cook told Test Match Special. "I don't see Root losing that hunger and ability to keep driving himself forward for the next couple of years.

"He's just this consistent run-scoring machine. There are other geniuses who can play genius innings, but Root is a genius with consistency."

England have never conceded as many as Pakistan's 556 and gone on to take a first-innings lead, but they trail by just 64 runs heading into day four.

"We've still got an opportunity to win the game, which is really exciting," Root added. "Hopefully we can kick on tomorrow."

Ben Duckett hailed "extremely humble" Joe Root after watching his team-mate become England's all-time leading Test run-scorer on day three against Pakistan.

Root needed 39 entering Wednesday's play in Multan to break Alastair Cook's record, and he surpassed that target with ease, ending the day unbeaten on 176 alongside Harry Brook.

In his 147th Test outing, Root drilled Aamir Jamal's delivery in the blistering heat to overtake Cook's previous record of 12,472 as England closed to within 64 runs of Pakistan on 492-3.

Duckett partnered Root for the historic moment and led the tributes at the end of play.

"He is extremely humble," Duckett, who recovered from a broken thumb to make 84, told Test Match Special. "It doesn't feel like you're sat around greatness. 

"He's just hungry for runs every time he goes out bat for England. It's incredible to be in the same dressing room as him and long may it continue."

Root now has 12,578 runs in 146 matches, which has seen him bat in 268 innings in total, with his tally consisting of 35 centuries, 1,355 fours and 44 sixes.

The 33-year-old is up to fifth on the all-time list of run scorers across all nations, with only Rahul Dravid (13,288), Jacques Kallis (13,289), Ricky Ponting (13,378) and Sachin Tendulkar (15,921) ahead of him.

England batting coach Marcus Trescothick added to Sky Sports: "We're lucky enough to sit and watch history being made as a man goes on to be the leading run scorer in his country.

"The way he goes about it, the work he puts in and continues to strive for greatness all the time. He's been superb and think will continue to be superb for a number of years yet."

Amid all the fanfare for Root, England will enter day four looking to create some history of their own.

The tourists have never conceded as many as Pakistan's 556 and gone on to take a first-innings lead.

"The pitch is not doing a great deal at the moment and to be in a position where we can say we can get [a lead of] 150-200 is an incredible effort," Duckett added. 

"The morning session will be important and if we can limit the damage, we can kick on in the afternoon."