Joe Root was delighted with his contribution as England took a firm grip of the second Test against Pakistan at Old Trafford on Saturday.
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This series has seen Root promoted to number three, a position occupied in many Test sides by a team’s best batsman.
Woakes, who took 11 wickets in defeat at Lord’s, saw his first over Sunday cost 11 runs as Sarfraz hit two well-struck boundaries. Shan Masood proved to be the top-scorer for Pakistan at the end of the day s play as he remained 30 not out.
“Recently I have thrown it away on a few occasions and I made up for it today”, the 25-year-old Yorkshireman added.
Pakistan’s troubles also included a minor injury scare for Amir, off the field for a time after his initial spell but officially with no significant problem and fit to bowl well again after lunch.
“We could have lost early wickets but Chris played outstandingly well”, Root said. “But that’s what happens in Test cricket so it’s no excuse”.
Root (202no) and captain Alastair Cook did much of the hardest work with their hundreds on day one, and the Yokshireman’s reward on the resumption was an obvious opportunity to scale the list of England’s highest individual scores.
When Rahat Ali, one of Pakistans trio of left-arm quicks along with Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz, dropped short, he was cut for four by Woakes.
The visitors were reduced to 112-7 after Joe Root caught Sarfraz Ahmed’s edge at second slip with Yasir Shah (1) soon following.
Woakes continued his fine form, hitting eight fours and a six on the way to his second Test half-century before he poked a return catch to Shah.
That left them a mammoth 470 runs behind England’s first-innings 589 for 8 declared and on the verge of being made to follow on in the second game of this four-match series.
He was less fluent than on Day 1 but kept his concentration to pass 200 when he reverse-swept the world’s No 1 bowler Yasir Shah for the 22nd of his 27 fours.
Root was able to cruise serenely to his fifth Test match 150, with a single off Wahab Riaz.
Three Pakistan bowlers conceded more than 100 runs each, Shah coming back down to earth after his Lord’s display with one for 213 in 54 overs.
England now lead by 391 runs and look to be in a commanding position, as they went in to bat instead of forcing Pakistan to follow on. The paceman had Hafeez, carelessly opening the face, caught by second slip Root and the caught and bowled Azhar off a chipped drive.
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Mohammad Amir, after a generally polite reception at Lord’s where he made his return to Test cricket after six years out following his 2010 spot-fixing crime at the “home of cricket”, found himself subjected to repeated taunts by spectators on Friday.
