He batted in exactly the same way as in his previous 291 innings and that was very handy for England. However, Cook’s entry on to the playing surface as England began their second innings was unusual. So much for all the hullaballoo, this was just the sort of innings England needed to consolidate a modest lead of 40 runs. This leaves Jennings with an unwanted record: no England opener has ever gone 18 innings without scoring a half-century. Like Cook, Root was batting with more authority than at any time in the summer.

Source: The Irish Times September 09, 2018 19:03 UTC