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Root and Woakes power England past 400

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England 427 for 5 (Root 185*, Stokes 6*) v Pakistan
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Play 01:37

WATCH – Woakes shines as nightwatchman

Joe Root, having put his Test summer back on course on the opening day of the Old Trafford Test, reasserted his resolve on the second as England sought to pile up an impregnable first innings score against Pakistan.

By lunch, Root was 185 not out, 15 runs short of adding to the Test double hundred he made against Sri Lanka at Lord’s two years ago. He began the Test having converted only one of his last 10 Test half-centuries into hundreds and he was in the mood to make someone pay.

Root has reined in the more inventive side of his game in this Test and he also had one moment of fortune – the sort of luck he had complained in the build-up to the Test that he had been lacking. On 143, he botched a pull against Mohammad Amir, the sort of stroke that caused his downfall at Lord’s, but the ball fell short of the fielder. Root and Amir smiled as if sharing a private joke.

Pakistan will be concerned over the workload being undertaken by a four-strong attack, especially with Amir needing treatment on what seemed to be a jarred knee on a hard, unforgiving surface.

There have been enough fleeting signs to suggest that this pitch will eventually turn towards the bowlers – occasional moments of uneven bounce, such as the ball that bowled Alastair Cook on the opening day, and one or two signs of turn for Yasir Shah. But England’s progress was blissful as they as they added 113 in the morning session for the loss of the nightwatchman Chris Woakes.

It was four overs before the close of the first day when Woakes was given the chance of some nightwatchman duties. He is a little over-qualified for the task but was wise to leap at the opportunity on such a welcoming batting surface.

While Woakes prospered, Ben Stokes, the allrounder protected by Woakes’ move up the order, wandered around the balcony, checked his bat, chewed his fingernails. The nightwatchman who seems a convenience to a batsman late on one day can be a hindrance to personal ambition on the next.

Everything Woakes did on the second morning enhanced his reputation. He now has a Test batting average higher than his Test bowling average which is always a good look for an allrounder. There is no bombast about him, not much charisma, or search for it, but England’s cricketing public is finally beginning to appreciate his talents.

It was Woakes who signalled England’s intent on the second morning, outscoring Root by a considerable margin: 56 runs to 37 at the time of his dismissal. He cut and drove Rahat Ali to pep up the opening overs, required treatment for a blow on the elbow, and found time to log his first six in Test cricket when he fashioned an uppercut over the slips off Amir

He fell for 58 from 104 balls, 13 minutes before lunch, when Yasir forced a return catch from around the wicket. For Yasir, a potentially decisive figure for Pakistan in this series, it was his first reward in his 39th over, at which point his figures were 1 for 138.

As so often happens, a wicket changed the character of the game even if only temporarily. Before Stokes had scored, Yasir found turn and the ball flew into the hands of short leg, but the ball had flown off pad only and he claimed his first boundary, a careful drive, later in the over to reach lunch in settled mood.

David Hopps is a general editor at ESPNcricinfo @davidkhopps

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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