England racked up a mammoth 657 in their first innings against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, with Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook all bludgeoning brilliant hundreds.
Under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, England have adopted a much more positive and aggressive approach to Test cricket and that was on show in full force against Pakistan. They scored at a brutal pace against an inexperienced bowling attack containing three debutants and made history in the process.
When James Anderson was caught at square leg to bring England's innings to a close, they had scored their 657 in just 101 overs, rattling along at a run rate of 6.50. As a result, England are the first team ever to score at over a run a ball in the first innings of a Test match.
On day two, Brook broke his own record for the most runs scored in a single over of a Test by an Englishman. He smashed two sixes, three fours and ran a three to take 27 off leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood, surpassing the 24 he took off an over from Saud Shakeel on day one.
It was a truly remarkable performance from England, who have enjoyed great success so far by embracing Stokes and McCullum's mantra fully. "We really listened to what and Stokesy have said," Pope said after day one.
"The best thing is everyone has lived by how the two guys up top want us to play. They want us to entertain people.
"It is not about milestones. It is about putting on a show and putting the team in a good position. The fact everyone is so happy to buy into that puts us in a really good place."
Duckett, meanwhile, spoke of the "freedom" Stokes and McCullum afforded their players, saying: "The real change was looking at this squad at the start of the summer. I went back to playing with more freedom.
"I don't think there will ever be a better environment to be involved in. I am sure there will be lots of cricketers desperate to be in this dressing room and I was one of them last summer. They allow you to play your game and play with freedom."
