Root fell into Pakistan’s short ball trap in England’s second-innings in the first Test when he pulled Rahat to straight to deep square-leg, and the 25-year-old was greeted with two men back on the hook with Wahab operating.
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Joe Root made sure the payback was complete, to himself and his team, as his career-best 254 put England nearly out of sight against Pakistan at Old Trafford.
Woakes only got the chance to revive his Test career after fellow England all-rounder Ben Stokes, returning in this match, suffered a knee injury during the first Test against Sri Lanka at Headingley in May.
Azhar’s torrid series continued when he lobbed a gentle one-handed return catch to a leaping Woakes and Rahat couldn’t get his bat out of the way off Woakes’ short pitched delivery to spoon an easy catch close to the wicket.
England took a strong hold of the second Test against Pakistan at Old Trafford at the end of Day 2, leading by 532 runs.
But this was Root’s day.
His 10-hour stint was also the third-highest Test score at Old Trafford.
The former batsman believes the second Test will be crucial in deciding the outcome of the series: “England is always a tough side to beat at home”.
By the time he counted his first four of the day – an edge which might have done for him on 155 off Shah had Younus Khan been more alert at slip – Woakes had hit seven boundaries to go with his six.
England’s Gary Ballance plays a shot from the bowling of Pakistan’s Yasir Shah.
A white mark on his glove that showed up on Hotspot proved the smoking gun for TV umpire Joel Wilson, yet the infra-red images appeared to show that spot on the glove well before the ball had passed. However, the reception from the Old Trafford crowd was more hostile than what he had received at Lord’s. Nonetheless, after Saturday’s evisceration via double hundred by Root, Yasir Shah might just be asking Misbah discreetly, “Skip, did you use the same coin?”
Such is the depth of England’s batting it was Bairstow who came in next at No8 and the wicketkeeper was thankful to a drop from Sarfraz Ahmed, his opposite number, when on nine – Yasir again the unlucky bowler.
At that point, the leg-spinner had followed his 10 for 141 at Lord’s with one for 139 here – and he would chalk up a less gratifying double-hundred of his own before England were done. More signficantly, this was Cook’s first century in 20 Test innings since his monumental 263 against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in October.
England’s batsmen have not yet mastered Yasir but Root and Co at least tamed him.
Root, who had played a near-flawless knock giving only one hard chance when on 155, was finally dismissed when he skied Riaz to the legside and Hafeez, running in, held a good catch. Soon after Bairstow completed his fifty, he too was caught at long off and England declared with the score at 589 for eight after 152.2 overs.
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Amir was quite clearly the pick of the Pakistan bowlers, showing glimpses he’s developed into a world-class fast-bowler and he seemingly finds greater control with each spell.
