England vs Pakistan report: Joe Root registers highest Test score as hosts take complete control

Batsman scores 254 to help England end second day of second Test with mammoth lead

Joe Root celebrates reaching his double century against Pakistan on Saturday (Getty)

Joe Root’s career-best 254 and a late four-wicket burst from England’s bowlers have put Alastair Cook’s side in complete control of this second Test against Pakistan.

Root’s mammoth knock, spanning 10 hours and 18 minutes, had helped the hosts pile up an imposing first-innings total of 589 for eight.

The bowlers, led by an impressive Chris Woakes, then made a mockery of the flat nature of this Old Trafford pitch as they ensured a shell-shocked Pakistan reached stumps 532 runs in arrears on 57 for four, still 333 short of avoiding the follow-on.

If England had any doubts a series-levelling victory was within their grasp before the start of this second day, they had been emphatically erased by its end.

It was Woakes, who had started the day alongside Root at the crease, who claimed three of those wickets during the 24 tortuous overs Pakistan were forced to endure in the evening session.

Mohammad Hafeez was Woakes’ first victim, edging to, who else, but Root in the slip cordon, before Azhar Ali offered the Warwickshire all-rounder a simple return chance.

Pakistan were wobbling on 48 for three when Ben Stokes, playing his first Test since knee surgery in late May, had key batsman Younis Khan caught down the legside for one by wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow.

Woakes then ensured England finished the day in complete control, nightwatchman Rahat Ali fending a short ball to Gary Ballance at short leg.

Woakes had claimed 11 Pakistan wickets during England’s 75-run defeat at Lord’s last week and he again underlined his status as England’s most improved bowler during his first spell of this match that saw him take three for 18 in six overs.

However, despite Woakes’ late heroics, this day belonged to Root.

The 25-year-old has been his side’s best batsman across all formats for two years and he showed just why here during an innings that saw him smash his previous Test-best score of 200 not out against Sri Lanka at Lord’s two summers ago.

Chris Woakes is congratulated by his team-mates after taking the wicket of Mohammad Hafeez (Getty)

In the process, Root, who had started the day on 141, became only the second England batsman to score a double-century at Old Trafford, after Ken Barrington’s 256 against Australia in 1964.

Indeed, only Denis Compton (278 at Trent Bridge in 1954) and Alastair Cook (263 at Abu Dhabi last October) have made more runs in an innings against Pakistan.

The scoreboard pressure exerted by England’s mammoth total was always going to be immense and after their four breakthroughs in the evening, Cook and his team will be confident of winning this match even if the next two days of this match are interrupted by forecast rain in Manchester.

England knew they were on for a big first-innings total when they resumed the second morning on 314 for four with Root and Woakes at the crease.

Woakes had been drafted in as a nightwatchman late on day one but again proved he is an all-rounder of genuine Test class by compiling his second half-century at this level during a 103-run partnership with Root.

Woakes eventually fell for 58, offering a caught and bowled chance to Yasir Shah that provided the leg-spinner with his first wicket of the match.

Yet Root should have been Yasir's first victim before then, dropped on 155 by Younis at second slip – the Pakistan veteran’s second drop of the match.

Younis Khan was the third of four Pakistan batsmen to lose their wicket late on the second evening (Getty)

The departure of Woakes 13 minutes before lunch, with England 414 for five, brought Stokes to the crease and the all-rounder played himself in before getting stuck into Pakistan’s bowling after the interval.

Stokes was motoring along on 34 from 50 balls, dominating a 57-run sixth-wicket stand with Root, when he was given out caught behind on review to Wahab Riaz despite the absence of compelling evidence that he had hit the ball.

A white mark on his glove that showed up on Hotspot proved the smoking gun for TV umpire Joel Wilson, yet the infra-red images appeared to show that spot on the glove well before the ball had passed.

An angry Stokes stomped off, the supportive jeers of a boisterous Old Trafford crowd ringing in his ears.

However, England were in cruise control on 471 for six, Root having already passed 200 thanks to a cute reverse-swept four off Yasir.

Such is the depth of England’s batting it was Bairstow who came in next at No8 and the wicketkeeper was thankful to a drop from Sarfraz Ahmed, his opposite number, when on nine - Yasir again the unlucky bowler.

The leg-spinner’s 10 wickets had inspired Pakistan’s 75-run win in the first Test at Lord’s. Yet the 213 runs he conceded here were the most ever by a Pakistan bowler against England in a single Test innings.

By its end, Root had brought up his 250 off Yasir too, a well-run two seeing him reach that landmark in 404 balls.

Root eventually fell slog-sweeping a Wahab leg-cutter to Hafeez in the deep. Bairstow, after bringing up his sixth Test half-century, then holed out to the same bowler, triggering the declaration after England had hit 56 runs in 6.2 overs after the tea break.

It left the home attack plenty of time to make inroads into the Pakistan top order. That they did so successfully means they are well on course for victory, and parity in this series.