ROOT STANDS UPAS A TRUE GREAT
Majestic 254 by Yorkshire’s genius thrills Old Trafford and sets up victory charge
THIS will be remembered as the time when Joe Root confirmed himself as one of the true modern greats of Test match batting.
England ended the second day of this second Investec Test well on their way to a crucial serieslevelling victory, with Pakistan tumbling to 57 for four in reply to England’s Root-inspired 589 for eight declared.
But the day and this Test will belong to the 25-year-old from Sheffield who seems destined to become one of the very best batsmen England have produced.
Yes, this Test is being played on an Old Trafford pitch that offered little encouragement for either seamer or spinner throughout Root’s monumental stay of 10 hours and six minutes at the crease.
And, yes, the Pakistan attack, one of the best in the world, struggled to maintain the standards that saw them upset the odds at Lord’s, Yasir Shah going from 10-wicket first-Test hero to the zero of conceding more than 200 runs.
But those spectators who preferred to divert their gaze from the tedious beer snakes that occupied parts of the crowd witnessed something truly special from the boy wonder who has grown into a statesman of this England side.
A Yorkshireman can rarely have earned the sort of sustained ovations that greeted the second double century of Root’s career, his 250 and his eventual 254 from the old enemy on this side of the Pennines.
The vast majority of the Old Trafford crowd knew just how good this display was from a man who was initially reluctant to return to the all-important No3 position he seems set to fill for the next 10 years.
As did Pakistan who, virtually to a man, ran to shake Root’s hand as he left the field after they had finally dismissed him, a welcome contrast to the bad blood that has existed between these sides in past series.
Of course, Root has long been considered among the very best batsmen among the current generation alongside Virat Kohli, who also hit a Test double century this week against West Indies, Kane Williamson and Steve Smith.
But he could not justify being honoured with the over-used term of a great while he was so often getting out between 50 and 100, as he has done 11 times since the start of last summer, to his growing frustration.
When Root twice got out to injudicious shots when seemingly well set in the first Test at Lord’s he said he felt as if every mistake he made was being severely punished.
His response then was to eradicate all mistakes, to cut out any semblance of a risky shot against both the leg-spin of Yasir and the leftarm seam of Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz and Rahat Ali.
Not until Root was on 155 yesterday did he misjudge one of the 406 balls he faced, edging Yasir low to Younis Khan at slip but seeing him struggle to get a hand underneath it.
Root then marched on until he tried to put Wahab into the crowd, got nothing like enough on it, and was well caught by Mohammad Hafeez running in from deep midwicket.
By then his job was more than done and England were well on the way to the formidable total that represents a welcome return to their best after the largely self-inflicted blow of that first-Test defeat.
Any Pakistan optimism was quickly snuffed out by Root and the ever maturing figure of Chris Woakes who, coming in as a quality nightwatchman on Friday, added a half-century to his lengthening list of achievements this summer.
Hearts were in English mouths when Woakes was struck a painful blow on his right arm by Rahat but he recovered to upper-cut Amir for six over third man and add 58 in a partnership of 103 with Root that deflated Pakistan.
The onslaught continued in the form of Ben Stokes, whose return after knee surgery was delayed a week later than necessary by England’s selectors. Stokes was clearly anxious to make up for lost time here and was poised to unleash himself fully on Pakistan when he fell to a controversial umpiring decision.
When Stokes shaped to pull Wahab but appeared to miss the ball there were half-hearted Pakistan appeals for a catch behind turned down by Kumar Dharmasena before Misbahul-Haq gambled on a review.
TV umpire Joel Wilson, who had a poor game standing at Lord’s, took six minutes looking at inconclusive replays, getting flustered in the process, before deciding that Stokes had gloved the ball. It may or may not have been the correct call but Wilson had to be guessing, and Stokes stomped off angrily.
Not that it mattered greatly as England accelerated after tea, adding 56 in 6.2 overs before Alastair Cook called his batsmen in after Jonny Bairstow hadd fallen for another half-century.
Jimmy Anderson nearlyearly made the perfect comeback k himself when Shan Masood, hisis ‘bunny’ from the United Arabab Emirates last winter, almostt lobbed his first ball back to o England’s record wicket-taker.
But it was Woakes s who again made the breakthrough with the wicketskets of Hafeez and Azhar Ali as England began their eir attempt to bowl Pakiistan out twice.
And when Stokess lured the jittery y Younis into edging down wn the leg side and Woakes sent back nightwatchman man Rahat, Pakistan were left with a desperate struggle ggle to survive the next three hree days. It will take somemething almost as special al as Root’s coming of age to o deny England victory here now.