Joe Root has shown an ability to adapt to any given match situation in his brief international career. The brief for England on a Lord's Saturday was to take the heat out of the game and bat Australia into oblivion. And so Root did. Around the time that Australia were conscious only of the fact that there was no hope, he raised his bat to celebrate a maiden Test hundred as an England opener.
"Grind them down, Joe" would have been the message and so Joe did. If an occasional back-foot drive was reminiscent of Michael Vaughan, in the first two sessions there was a touch of Geoffrey Boycott in his fastidiousness.
The benefits then accrued in a rush as England, who made 141 off 58 overs in the first two sessions, piled up a further 162 in 32 overs after tea. Root's well-structured 97 blossomed into an unbeaten 178 which left his quality incontestable. England closed the third day with a lead of 566. No side has chased that to win in the fourth innings in the history of first-class cricket. Australia were not thinking about it. They were just thinking about bed.
Root took five-and-three-quarter hours for his hundred, poring over it so intently that he might have replaced his helmet with gown and mortar board. He, too, has been in his year of graduation, and now he has emerged with honours, stilling the discussion surrounding his supplanting of Nick Compton as opener at the start of the Investec Ashes series.
If he had been caught on Friday evening on 8, when wicketkeeper, Brad Haddin, and first slip Michael Clarke left the catch to each other, life might have felt different. Instead, once his hundred had been achieved and with England looking for impetus in the final session, he gambolled along, his inventiveness at its height, particularly against the left-arm spin of Ashton Agar.
Australia's quicks had shouldered a heavy workload over the past 11 days and, with Root's hundred settled eight balls after the new ball was available, Clarke chose not to take it to spare his quicks further punishment. It became an increasingly perplexing call. Root and Ian Bell became increasingly carefree until a stand of 153 came to grief when Bell, on 74, hauled a long hop from Steve Smith to midwicket.
Australia were aggrieved that Bell, when only 3, had not fallen to a catch by Smith at gully when Ryan Harris forced the edge. The umpires handed it to the TV umpire, Tony Hill, to determine if the ball had carried. It was a tough decision, as there was the vaguest suspicion that the ball might have burst through Smith's hands, but the foreshortening of a TV lens notoriously can make good catches seem illegal and it was probably out.
If Clarke was to bowl spinners so avidly, he could have done with a proven one. As Agar and Smith bowled in tandem, it felt like an educative process, the teaming up of a fledgling slow left-armer and a legspinner who has largely shelved the craft while putting more emphasis on his batting. There is nothing wrong with education. It just felt odd that it should be taking place in the middle of an Ashes series.
Australia's three-wicket burst at the close of the second day had lifted heartbeats, but as the match progressed past its mid-point, they were searching for a pulse. In the first two sessions, they took only one wicket, that of the nightwatchman, Tim Bresnan, who flat-batted a pull against James Pattinson to midwicket, a reward for Pattinson, who had made the previous ball rear awkwardly.
Bresnan's batting and bowling statistics have declined markedly since his elbow operation, but he is having a decent Test. Two successive boundaries against Siddle possessed some fortune - an edge in front of Phil Hughes at third slip and a leg-side clip - but Australia were unable to maintain the threat.
Australia's collapse to 128 all out on the second day had been inexplicable, but the quick loss of three England wickets to the new ball had left the slightest unease. The ball was turning, and would turn more, and there was occasional uneven bounce, but nothing untoward. Root's response was faultless.
Only in the final session as the pace of the pitch lessened and the bounce of the ball became more erratic did it become a more challenging surface for batting and by then England's batsman were in the mood to disregard it.
England's nightwatchman tactics do not please everybody, but twice in this Test their logic has been hard to fault. In the first innings, the use of James Anderson as a nightwatchman to protect Stuart Broad, a No . 9, was felt by some to be risible, but Broad and Graeme Swann embarked upon a crowd-pleasing last-wicket stand which lifted England's mood.
As Root walked onto the Lord's outfield on Saturday morning, it seemed shrewd that this time the nightwatchman should be Bresnan, a fellow Yorkshireman able to offer a few words of counsel if his mood ran away itself, and with enough credentials with the bat to have the chance of making a contribution of his own.
England settled carefully. It was six overs before Root risked a cover drive against James Pattinson, not entirely securely. Pattinson, who has struggled to settle to the vagaries of the Lord's slope, had a much more solid day. But Root met everything judiciously. Australia, recognising his strength on the back foot, sought to draw him forward, but two easeful straight drives against Siddle had suggested by lunch that his weaknesses are merely comparative.
In the afternoon, he batted time. But he is a calculating batsman for one so young and he would have liked his hundred before tea. Clarke challenged him to do just that in the last over before the break when he introduced the legspin of Smith. A cut boundary took him to 96, Agar dived at extra cover to prevent another boundary and he could only hack a full toss to mid-off. There had been no over with such incident all day.
Back out again he came after tea, on 97. Shane Watson made one leap, Agar made one creep out of the footholds. Smith made a great diving stop at gully. Root grinned at the fun of it all. Then he cut Agar to reach his hundred. Immediately, the shackles were off and a quietly appreciative crowd sensed that things had become more frolicsome. In the penultimate over, he twice heaved Smith over midwicket for six, any inhibitions of the morning long since cast aside.
Soon after his hundred, a member of the MCC groundstaff brought him a drink. It was his brother, Billy, not a bad player himself apparently. They shook hands formally and then broke into a quick hug. Life is going your way when the family can stroll on to congratulate you.
Tea England 171 for 4 (Root 97*, Bell 16*) and 361 lead Australia 128 by 404 runs
England were bent upon bringing calm to a Lord's Saturday, as the second Investec Test reached its third day, and Joe Root acquitted himself to the task with great equilibrium. If he was to make his first Test hundred as an opening batsman, then it would have to be a hundred to pore over. The crowd would have to watch and wait.
At tea, after extensive enough study to replace his helmet with a mortar board and gown, Root was still three runs short of a hundred that would strengthen his hold on the opening position which he was awarded in preference to Nick Compton at the start of the series. He is a calculating player and with only two overs to the new ball, he would have felt he had cut it finer than he would have hoped.
Michael Clarke, Australia's captain, threw up the challenge to do just that in the last over before tea when he introduced the legspin of Steve Smith. A cut boundary took him to 96, Agar dived at extra cover to prevent another boundary and he could only hack a full toss to mid-off. There had been no over with such incident all day.
England's lead at tea was 404, which was precisely the record winning score made by a side batting last in a Test in England. Australia made 404 for 3 to win at Headingley in 1948, but then The Don is not around anymore.
Australia's three-wicket burst at the close of the second day had lifted heartbeats, but as the match progressed past its mid-point, they were searching for a pulse. In the first two sessions, they took only one wicket, that of nightwatchman Tim Bresnan, who flat-batted a pull against James Pattinson to midwicket, a reward for Pattinson, who had made the previous ball rear awkwardly.
Bresnan's batting and bowling statistics have declined markedly since his elbow operation, but he is having a decent Test. Two successive boundaries against Siddle possessed some fortune - an edge in front of Phil Hughes at third slip and a leg-side clip - but Australia were unable to maintain the threat.
Australia would be aggrieved that Ian Bell, on 3, did not follow for a catch at gully when Ryan Harris forced the edge. The umpires handed it to the TV official, Tony Hill, to determine if the ball had carried. It was a tough decision, but the foreshortening of a TV lens can make good catches seem illegal, but there was the vaguest suspicion that the ball might have burst through Smith's hands.
Australia's collapse to 128 all out on the second day had been inexplicable, but the quick loss of three England wickets to the new ball had left the slightest notion that there must be something in the pitch that nobody had spotted. The ball was turning, and would turn more, and there was occasional uneven bounce, but nothing untoward. It was only the lessening pace of the pitch as the ball grew old which made this a challenging surface for batting.
England, with three days to make good a first-inning lead of 264, had no tactical reason to rush and Root has already proved himself a young player able to adapt his tempo to any given occasion. The golden child of English cricket he might be, but he has yet to make big runs for England as an opener, or even, if you exclude a prodigious start to this summer, for Yorkshire. He recognised the opportunity that had been presented to him, secured his half-century by lunch and then scored only 34 between lunch and tea with Boycottian precision.
England's nightwatchman tactics do not please everybody, but twice in this Test their logic has been hard to fault. In the first innings, the use of James Anderson to protect Stuart Broad, a No. 9, was felt by some to be risible, but Broad and Graeme Swann embarked upon a crowd-pleasing last-wicket stand which lifted England's mood.
As Root walked onto the Lord's outfield on Saturday morning, it seemed shrewd that this time the nightwatchman should be Bresnan, a fellow Yorkshireman able to offer a few words of counsel if his mood ran away itself, and with enough credentials with the bat to have the chance of making a contribution of his own.
Bresnan's batting and bowling statistics have declined markedly since his elbow operation, but he is having a decent Test. Two successive boundaries against Siddle possessed some fortune - an edge in front of Phil Hughes at third slip and a leg-side clip - but Australia were unable to maintain the threat.
England settled carefully. It was six overs before Root risked a cover drive against Pattinson, not entirely securely. But he was generally judicious, settling to the tempo that was required. Australia, recognising his strength on the back foot, sought to draw him forward, but two easeful straight drives against Siddle in successive overs, were an impressive retort.
Australia lacked for a dominant spinner. As they briefly bowled the spin of Agar and Smith in tandem, it felt like an educative process, the teaming up of a fledgling slow left-armer and a legspinner who has largely shelved the craft while putting more emphasis on his batting. There is nothing wrong with education. It just felt odd that it should be taking place in the middle of an Ashes series.
Lunch England 361 and 114 for 3 (Root 63*, Bresnan 32*) lead Australia 128 by 347 runs
England needed a Saturday morning of immense calm at Lord's, as the second Investec Test reached its third morning, and they achieved it without too much trouble. Joe Root and Tim Bresnan batted throughout the morning, adding 83 in sedate fashion to swell their lead to 347.
Australia's three-wicket burst at the close of the second day had lifted heartbeats, but on the third morning, they were searching for a pulse. Root, by lunch, had his first half-century as an England opening batsman, with the opportunity to turn it into something more glorious.
Australia's collapse to 128 all out on the second day had been inexplicable, but the quick loss of three England wickets to the new ball had left the slightest suspicion that there must be something in the pitch that nobody had spotted. The ball was turning, and would turn more, and there was occasional uneven bounce, but nothing untoward. Surely this remained a good pitch for batting.
Root put it all in perspective. The golden child of English cricket he might be, but he has yet to make big runs for England as an opener, or even, if you exclude a prodigious start to this summer, for Yorkshire. But he negotiated the pre-lunch session calmly, recognising the opportunity that had been presented to him.
England's nightwatchman tactics do not please everybody, but twice in this Test their logic has been hard to fault. In the first innings, the use of James Anderson as a nightwatchman to protect Stuart Broad, a No 9, was felt by some to be risble, but Broad and Graeme Swann embarked upon a crowd-pleasing last-wicket stand which lifted England's mood.
As Root walked onto the Lord's outfield on Saturday morning, it seemed shrewd that this time the nightwatchman should be Tim Bresnan, a fellow Yorkshireman able to offer a few words of counsel if his mood ran away itself, and with enough credentials with the bat to have the chance of making a contribution of his own.
Throughout the morning, Root and Bresnan added 83 in 31 overs. Almost for the first time in a high-octane Test series, a session was passed calmly. The Lord's crowd gradually attuned itself to the likelihood that England would bat for at least most of the day.
Michael Clarke's selections are forever skittish. The batting order is in constant flux and, although Peter Siddle had taken three wickets on the previous evening, it seemed odd that Ryan Harris, who had carried Australia's burden so nobly, did not get the chance to bowl first up.
England settled carefully. It was six overs before Root risked a cover drive against James Pattinson, not entirely securely. But he was generally judicious, settling to the tempo that was required. Australia, recognising his strength on the back foot, sought to draw him forward, but two easeful straight drives against Siddle in successive overs were an impressive retort.
Bresnan's batting and bowling statistics have declined markedly since his elbow operation, but he is having a decent Test. Two successive boundaries against Siddle possessed some fortune - an edge in front of Phillip Hughes at third slip and a leg-side clip - but Australia were unable to maintain the threat.
As Australia bowled the spin of Ashton Agar and Steve Smith in tandem, it felt like an educative process, the teaming up of a fledgling slow left-armer and a legspinner who has largely shelved the craft while putting more emphasis on his batting. There is nothing wrong with education. It just felt odd that it should be taking place in the middle of an Ashes series.
Friday's sins bring Saturday's consequences
Australia's penalty for madness with the bat on the second day is pain on the third
As the evening shadows began to creep across Lord's, Ashton Agar stepped in to bowl to Jonny Bairstow. His languid action, more stilted in this match due to a hip complaint, wound up towards the crease in seven bounding steps, before his left arm began its ascent.
Usually it rolls over smoothly and propels the ball down towards the batsman with flight and a little spin. But this time he pulled out of the motion before completing it, having lost grip on the ball. Offering a gently embarrassed smile, he shuffled back to his mark to try again. It had been that sort of day for Australia, as Friday's madness became Saturday's consequences.
There was only ever the slimmest chance that England would allow Australia back into the Test after Australia's staggeringly slipshod first innings batting display, and it was arguably gone the moment neither Brad Haddin nor Michael Clarke chose to accept a regulation outside edge from Joe Root late on the second evening.
The tourists' bowlers battled manfully on day three, working away patiently despite the near hopelessness of their situation. But they were unable to wring dramatic results from the dry yet still quite trustworthy pitch, as Root, Tim Bresnan, Ian Bell and Bairstow pushed the target well beyond the realms of the possible.
The bowlers' frustration at finding themselves in such a predicament was plain on their faces throughout. Ryan Harris grimaced and cussed frequently, James Pattinson's expressive features were contorted more often in exasperation than intimidation, and Peter Siddle charged in angrily. They knew their best efforts were being thwarted by solid, unspectacular stuff from England; exactly the sort of batting the Australians should have aimed for on the second afternoon. The coach Darren Lehmann has spoken admiringly of how this series Bell has played within his limitations, and on this day Bresnan and Root in particular would follow that blueprint grandly.
The lessons for Australia's batsmen were many, from Bresnan's dogged occupation of the crease in the morning to absorb the freshest of the bowling, to Root's commendably straight bat in either defence or attack. Overall the impression was of batsmen not prepared to give up their wickets cheaply, even if the only two wickets to fall were to misdirected pull shots.
Good spells were respected and bad ones punished. Scoring was steady but not unduly hurried, and the closing overs of sessions were played out without the merest hint of a brain explosion. Having survived only 53.3 overs themselves, the tourists have already slogged through 110 from England in this innings and in the process have also worn down the bowlers who represent Australia's best chance of nicking a Test match.
| It is likely that Agar will become a very fine cricketer, but right now it is not quite clear that bowling should remain his primary string | |||
Harris, so incisive and effective on the first day of the match, was clearly diminished by lack of rest. His pace wavered somewhat, and he was unable to conjure the wickets he has so often provided when fit.
Returning to his bowling mark time after time, Harris would no doubt have recalled similar scenarios when playing for an underperforming South Australia before his move to Queensland.
The discontent of bowlers in a weak team are compounding - there is less rest to be had, the opposing batsmen are not afflicted by the heavy legs associated with long hours in the field, and teammates wait for chances more in hope than the expectation associated with regular winners.
For Agar, this was a sobering day. The dryness of the surface suggested opportunities for spinners, as Steve Smith had demonstrated in the first innings. But his lack of success reflected the fact that at 19 he remains a bowler in development, regardless of how beguiled the selectors have been by his obvious natural ability. It is likely that Agar will become a very fine cricketer, but right now it is not quite clear that bowling should remain his primary string. Save for one delivery that bit out of the rough and spun across Root's bat to Clarke at slip without taking a touch, there was little mystery or venom in many of Agar's offerings.
Watching on from the pavilion, Nathan Lyon can rightly wonder at how he may have fared. His omission from the Trent Bridge Test was a tight and contentious call, its consequences obscured for a time by the blinding light of Agar's debut 98 at No. 11. But on a day like this, it cannot be debated that Lyon would have posed more problems for England's batsmen, having learned as he has the nuances of Test match bowling over the apprenticeship that had appeared geared towards this series. Lyon has taken his absence from the team as well as could be expected. For all the romanticism of Nottingham, Agar may soon be dealing with similar emotions.
Speaking of injustices, Bell's survival of an apparent clear catch by Smith in the gully when he had only 3 maintained a theme almost as disquieting as that of Australia's anaemic batting displays. For the second time in as many Tests the tourists were denied a wicket by umpiring error, in this case the third official Tony Hill being fooled by the optical issues presented by television footage of a clear catch.
Like Stuart Broad, Bell stood his ground with the brio of an established performer. In this instance, the fielders' frustration at their plight as warranted. But in the context of the day it was a misleading moment. Australia deserved precisely the fate that befell them. Like Agar to Bairstow, they have completely lost their grip.
Celebration of the day
Having just become the youngest Englishman to score an Ashes century at Lord's, Joe Root was able to celebrate on the pitch with his 20-year-old brother. Billy Root, who is currently playing for MCC Young Cricketers and is acting as one of England 12th men in this game, ran on to the pitch to bring his older brother a drink and the two exchanged a hug and a few words before the Joe extended his own innings and Australia's misery.
Patient start of the day
Resuming on the third morning after coming in as Ian Bell's nightwatchman the previous night, Tim Bresnan denied his usual attacking tendencies to play an important role in wearing down Australia's bowlers when still fresh. In a pointed lesson in application for the tourists, he waited until his 30th ball to get off a duck, a mistimed pull shot at James Pattinson reaping a single. From there Bresnan continued to play patiently, soaking up plenty of Australia's best bowling of the day in the company of Root and surviving beyond lunch. By the time he was eventually dismissed, the way had been well and truly smoothed for Bell.
Reward of the day
This was not a day filled with joy for Australia. Any lingering hopes they had of clawing their way back into a match-winning position were slowly suffocated as Root and Bresnan extended their overnight partnership to 99 and the lead to 362. But Australia's seamers remained admirably disciplined and continued to make England work for every run. The post-lunch spell from Pattinson - he bowled seven overs, three of them maidens and conceded only five runs - and Peter Siddle was particularly impressive with Pattinson eventually rewarded with the wicket of Bresnan, hurried into a pull shot and caught at midwicket. It was a fine effort from a bowling unit who have spent several days in the field of late and are winning little support from their batting colleagues. Pattinson, who struggled with the slope in the first innings, was especially impressive.
Milestone of the day
If England had any concerns about their batting going into this game, they perhaps concerned Root's position at the top of the order and Jonny Bairstow's in the middle-order. While Bairstow eased those concerns with his half-century in the first innings, Root cemented his place as England opening batsman on the second. When he reached 70 he became the first man to reach 1,000 first-class runs in the 2013 English domestic season. This is just his seventh first-class match of the season.
Ominous moment of the day
England's lead was already up to 389 when, from nowhere, a good length delivery from Siddle reared to hit Bell on the top hand. With more than seven sessions to play and England's lead reaching impregnable proportions, uneven bounce from the pitch was the last thing Australia wanted to see.
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