England batsman Joe Root was delighted to match words with deeds after his Test-best 254 put the hosts on course for a series-levelling win against Pakistan at Old Trafford on Saturday.
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Root ruled with the bat for over 10 hours, putting a disappointing series against Sri Lanka firmly behind him with a haul good enough to be the third highest ever recorded at Old Trafford and the third highest ever scored against Pakistan.
Each admitted the need to practice what he had preached, after England’s shock 75-run defeat at Lord’s in the first match of four against Pakistan.
In 1956, the first 10-wicket haul in a single innings was achieved by England bowler Jim Laker who achieved awesome bowling figures of 19 wickets for 90 runs – a bowling record which is unmatched in Test and first-class cricket.
Riaz was the pick of the Pakistan bowlers with figures of 3-106 but his team-mates struggled in reply as opener Mohammad Hafeez made 18 before being caught by Root off the irrepressible Woakes, before the Warwickshire all-rounder claimed Azhar Ali, caught and bowled, for one.
Pakistan batting coach Grant Flower said his side’s performance was “extremely damaging”, but insisted: “We still have good players to come in and we will have to bat better second time around”.
“There was weariness and a huge score like that plays mind tricks”, he said.
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”. He was on 2 not out overnight, and Woakes – who has scored nine first-class hundreds – was soon demonstrating a fundamentally orthodox batting technique.
The Yorkshireman had batted for six hours without giving a chance on Friday but on 155 he had a reprieve when an outside edge off leg-spinner Yasir Shah just carried to first slip.
In between Woakes’ strikes, Younis glanced Stokes behind the wicket as Pakistan’s top order crumbled on a wicket where England appeared hardly troubled in five sessions.
Woakes continued his fine run of form, hitting eight fours and a six on the way to his second test half-century before he poked a return catch to Shah and departed for 58.
Root reached his double hundred with a brilliant reverse sweep off Yasir, but perished in the late blaze of boundaries, skying a ball from Wahab and being well caught at deep midwicket by Mohammad Hafeez. The left-arm quick was one of three Pakistan bowlers who conceded more than a hundred runs each. Each player shook Root’s hand at the end of his innings. Root got off the mark with a straight driven four off Rahat. Chris Woakes, Jonny bairstow and Ben Stokes contributed to the scoreboard.
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So too were England, after Stokes had an out-of-sorts Younus caught down the leg-side and then Woakes himself found a short ball too good for an authentic but unsuccessful nightwatchman in Rahat.
