Sure enough Joe Root, England’s under-fire captain, lived and breathed that rallying cry in the course of a dogged and unashamedly dour unbeaten 114 from 278 balls. The manner in which Root reached his century was a microcosm of his innings as a whole. It had taken Root 259 balls and the best part of 80 overs to get to his hundred, but the fact that he’d got there at all was the crucial factor. Burns climbed into consecutive Wagner short balls to rush into the 40s, and his half-century duly arrived two balls before the drinks break, from 97 balls. Such are the frailties that run deep in England’s Test squad at present.

Source: Pakistan Today December 01, 2019 05:26 UTC