“So even with big leads, captains now bat again to give their bowlers a rest knowing there is another Test match to come”.
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Root, whose first-innings 254 is the third highest ever at Old Trafford, joined Cook and the duo guided England to the close untroubled.
It was a total that looked all the more mammoth as Pakistan collapsed to 57 for four before stumps on the second day of the second Test.
Arthur does not dispute that, but was relieved Pakistan did not have to bat again straightaway.
He said: “We fully expected to be batting again”. Win the game today – why delay it?
Pakistan must still contemplate batting for at least five sessions to survive, Manchester weather permitting.
And former England skipper and batsman Michael Atherton added: “All this has done is give Pakistan a little get-out clause”.
Only two captains, since the end of the timeless Test era, have declined the follow-on option with bigger leads at their disposal – and each time Australia did not have cause for regret on their way to crushing wins in the whitewash Ashes series of 2006-07 and 2013-14.
Experienced paceman James Anderson and Stuart Broad claimed one wicket each giving 27 and 20 runs respectively. James Anderson has a hold over Shan Masood after dismissing the opener four times in the UAE series past year and the inevitable fifth time arrived when he edged a climbing delivery to Root for 39.
A 60-run ninth wicket-partnership between Misbah-ul-Haq (52) and Wahab Riaz (39) frustrated the hosts before Moeen Alli chipped in.
England will counter that Pakistan will have to do so in tougher conditions. He and Hales took the score to 68 before the latter was caught behind off Mohammad Amir for 24 but it was irrelevant, really.
England assistant coach Paul Farbrace says his team have not shot themselves in the foot and believes that the decision to bat again was the correct one.
“You can understand why people wanted us to enforce the follow-on, but we are happy with decision and we are in a great position”.
“It could have been very easy for us to lose a couple of early wickets and let them back into the game”.
“The key was wanting to bat while the wicket was still good and not wanting to put ourselves under any pressure of having to chase a score in the fourth innings”, he said.
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“When you’ve got a lead of almost 400, there is a little bit of rain about and you could get four or five wickets in the evening, why not stick the opposition in?” There’s still 200 overs to be bowled in the match so there’s plenty of time. There will be mitigating factors that England can offer: “we are going to run all over this pitch and make it a right mess to help Moeen Ali, we don’t want to bowl with a wet ball and we’ve got two bowlers coming back into Test cricket”.
