Harry Brook brought up 2,000 career Test runs in the course of his rescue act against New Zealand at Christchurch, reaching the milestone in just 36 innings, up there with the fastest in the game’s history. Here’s the full list of the fewest innings taken to reach 2,000 Test runs.
Brook came out to bat after lunch with England in a spot of bother. Having conceded 348, the early dismissal of Zak Crawley and two wickets in the last over before the interval left the tourists 45-3, Jacob Bethell and Joe Root the two batters to go.
Ben Duckett played aggressively for his 46 before his departure had England 71-4. Brook and Ollie Pope - pushed down to No.6 as he balances wicketkeeping and batting duties - then put on a century stand to bring England back into the game. Both passed fifty, and when Brook reached 69, he had 2,000 runs in Test cricket to his name.
Few have needed fewer innings to do so. Don Bradman leads the way, taking just 22 innings to do so, and then there’s a leap of 10 to West Indies’ George Headley. Herbert Sutcliffe - the only Englishman above Brook on the list - is next on 33, tied with Australia’s Mike Hussey. Marnus Labuschagne is next on 34, with two others on 35, and Brook tied for joint eighth with four players. Brook just pipped fellow Englishman Denis Compton, who took 37 innings, to the mark.
After bursting onto the scene with three hundreds in three Tests in Pakistan in 2022, Brook has established himself as one of the most exciting young batters in the world today. Returning to the scene of his breathtaking arrival last month, he made a triple century, the first by an England batter since Graham Gooch in 1990, to set up a record-breaking innings win against Pakistan. He has now added another proud achievement to his collection.
Fastest to 2,000 Test runs, full list
| Name | Team | No. of innings |
| Don Bradman | Australia | 22 |
| George Headley | West Indies | 32 |
| Herbert Sutcliffe | England | 33 |
| Mike Hussey | Australia | 33 |
| Marnus Labuschagne | Australia | 34 |
| Doug Walters | Australia | 35 |
| Brian Lara | West Indies | 35 |
| Harry Brook | England | 36 |
| Arthur Morris | Australia | 36 |
| Everton Weekes | West Indies | 36 |
| Frank Worrell | West Indies | 36 |
| Viv Richards | West Indies | 36 |
| Denis Compton | England | 37 |
| Neil Harvey | Australia | 37 |
| Graeme Pollock | South Africa | 37 |
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