Watch as fluent Vince rekindles hopes of Test recall

weaker suit, were forced to concede the opening exchange to Hampshire’s championship captain, who can live in hope of a recall for Australia this winter.

Vince’s cover-driving is every bit as glorious as Root’s, so, too, some shots off his legs. It was his shot selection which let Vince down last year and led to his omission from England’s Test and then white-ball teams. But here Vince got away with his looser shots and thick edges – either because the pitch was too slow for the ball to carry, or because he edged wide of the slips or between slips and gully, or else he was dropped, as by Adam Lyth off a hard chance when on 39.

Root fielded mainly at third or first slip, fitting in around Lyth, the second slip, which is Root’s normal position for England. He also did some ball-polishing, but he will have to give that up now he is Test captain, as Cook ultimately did: it is one task too many. Root even had a couple of brief spells, to expedite the arrival of the second new ball, but, soon after it was taken, bad light terminated play.

Overall, Root did not look a battle-hardened warrior promoted to the England captaincy, more like a kid told to wrap up warm by his mother. It is the still-boyish smile which deprives him of gravitas in appearance. But Root’s Australian counterpart this winter, Steve Smith, will be no gnarled veteran.

It was baffling on a day when the ball swung lavishly that no short leg was posted: the batsman was in no risk if inside-edging. Ben Coad, the leading wicket-taker in Division One, could have done with one when bowling at left-handers, as four of Hampshire’s top five were.

Coad, 23, has much in common with James Anderson at a similar age, when the outswinger was his stock ball. Coad set Michael Carberry up skilfully by swinging back into him then having him caught driving at the variation – and he did the same to Sean Ervine with the second new ball. All that was missing was the bouncer to discourage batsmen from lunging forward.

Another of Hampshire’s lefthanded batsmen, Rilee Rossouw, was missing with a finger injury; so, too, Fidel Edwards, which made Hampshire less indebted to Kolpaks than usual. Tom Alsop replaced Rossouw, and was well organised, until he missed a full ball in his desire to hit through his favoured midwicket.

Jonny Bairstow, returning to action like Root, took two tumbling catches to his left.

But Yorkshire’s pace bowlers, overall, did not draw the batsmen into the drive sufficiently often, while the demands from up above by their late captain Brian Close to be allowed to field short-leg – without any helmet, lad – went unheeded or unheard. A painstaking 66 from Somerset opener Dean Elgar gave his side a slight advantage at the end of a dramatic day on which 18 wickets fell.

The South African battled his way through 151 balls, many from an impressive-looking James Anderson and an even-better Ryan McLaren, who took four for 46.

It could and should have been far better for Somerset after James Davey removed both Alex Davies and Haseeb Hameed for nought. Craig Overton then dismissed Luke Procter, Rob Jones and Dean Vilas in quick succession to reduce Lancashire to 39 for five. They were then 42 for six after Tim Groenewald got McLaren.

Lancashire’s stand-in captain, Liam Livingstone, had scored 28 from 70 balls at lunch, but changed up a gear in the afternoon. After Overton dismissed Jordan Clark and Stephen Parry, the 23-year-old began to chance his arm with a succession of ramp shots and a straight six which cannoned off the pavilion balcony and helped Lancashire recover somewhat to 109 all out.

With Anderson taking the new ball, all was not completely lost for Lancashire, but – despite some typically accurate swing bowling from England’s record wicket taker – it was McLaren who made the breakthrough with a beauty that Marcus Trescothick could not avoid edging.

McLaren continued to bowl superbly throughout the afternoon, dismissing Tom Abell, Peter Trego and Overton as Lancashire fought hard to restrict the visitors’ lead.

Aside from Anderson, who took the wicket of Steven Davies, Procter was the other bowling success, removing Lewis Gregory and Josh Davey in successive balls.