England will look to declare early in the final session at Old Trafford as they bid to level the series after Pakistan won the first test at Lord’s by 75 runs.
Advertisement
There was time only time for the England captain and Alex Hales to reach 11 for none before a shower brought an early tea after 2.4 overs second time round.
But their captain was dissuaded during a ninth-wicket stand of 60 between Misbah-ul-Haq (52) and Wahab Riaz from taking the quick route to a probable innings victory.
Root, who scored a test-best 254 on Saturday, pouched his fourth slip catch just before the interval, Yasir Shah, on one, becoming Chris Woakes’s fourth victim of the innings.
Top-ranked test leg-spinner Yasir Shah made an unwelcome double century of his own, finishing on 1-213, the most runs conceded by a bowler at Old Trafford after England resumed overnight on 314-4.
Root, who got dismissed twice during Pakistan’s 75-run win in the opening Test at Lord’s, revealed he had worked really hard on his shortcomings and chose to score big in the second game.
Pakistan were a mammoth 470 runs behind England’s first-innings 589 for 8 declared and on the verge of being made to follow on.
Cook was bowled by Mohammad Amir for 105 on the stroke of tea but Root continued to flay the tiring attack to all corners of the ground and finished unbeaten on 141 with Chris Woakes two not out.
Pakistan, which resumed on 57 for 4, saw its first-innings collapse continue in the morning session as it lost four more wickets for 62 runs. Four overs into the day’s play, James Anderson (1-27) had Shan Masood (39) caught in the slip cordon. But having moved on to 39, Masood exited in familiar fashion when he edged Anderson to Root.
Wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed offered some respite with Misbah as the duo took Pakistan into three figures, before a fluent 36-run partnership was ended by Stuart Broad when Root took his third catch of the innings.
With Pakistan given 24 overs to bat, England hit back emphatically as Woakes grabbed two wickets before the returning Stokes got his first.
But when Amir, who appeared to be struggling with a niggling injury, dropped short outside off stump, Woakes uppercut him for six high over third man.
Advertisement
Woakes struck again when Rahat, a somewhat less effective nightwatchman, fended a well-directed bouncer to Gary Ballance at short leg. Ali soon followed it up with the wicket of Riaz, who played a handy knock laced with five fours and a six. But going for another big hit off the spinner, he holed out to end a 61-ball innings that also featured five fours.
