England vs South Africa: Joe Root marks debut as captain with heroic century on day one at Lord's

Close of play: England 357-5 (Root 184, Moeen 61)

Root had a dream start to life as England's Test captain (Getty)

It is impossible to imagine how, for Joe Root, day one could have gone any better than this. In his first innings as England captain he hit a brilliant unbeaten 184, turning what threatened to be a very bad day into a thrillingly good one.

Root arrived at the crease at 17-2 and not too long after they were 76-4. When he walked off to a standing ovation at stumps they were 357-5. Danger had been transformed into dominance. Could he have set the tone for this series and for his England tenure? Surely not. Gravity dictates it cannot always be this good.

This was Root’s11th Test century, his third highest ever Test score, and perhaps the most important of the lot. Batting at Lord’s, in the sun, against a quality attack, with his whole team counting on him and a very tangible sense of a new beginning, Root batted thrillingly, even if he did concede three more chances than he would want.

Root was stumped on 149 but on a no-ball (Getty)

Root started on the attack against Kagiso Rabada and even gave chances to Aidan Markram in the deep and JP Duminy in the slips. After that it was all easy control. Root was even stumped off a no-ball on 149. It was that sort of day.

But from lunch onwards Root was barely troubled and when he started to go for Keshav Maharaj in the afternoon session there was nothing to stop him. It was off Maharaj’s slow left arm that Root brought up his 100 with a sweep for three, marking an immense personal triumph for a cricketer who must feel stronger than ever that he can achieve whatever he wants in the game.

The last man to score a century in his first innings as England’s permanent captain was Kevin Pietersen. That was also against the South Africans, at the Oval, in August 2008. He only lasted five more months as captain. Root must be hoping to do a bit better than that.

But cricket is not an entirely individual sport and Root received some punchy help from the middle order, if not from the top. First he put on 114 with Ben Stokes, his vice-captain, who arrived just before lunch with England already four down and wheezing on the ropes.

It was Stokes even more than Root who was responsible for seizing the initiative back from South Africa after lunch. Dean Elgar deferentially put the field back to Stokes but it made no difference. He drove Morne Morkel straight back past him for four, Maharaj back over his head for six and then another four, the same way, back towards the pavilion.

Root lifted his bat aloft for the first time as captain (Getty)

It was all very reminiscent of Stokes and Root’s first century stand together, their 161 against New Zealand here at Lord’s in 2015, which turned that Test on its head. Stokes made it to 56, having been bowled off a no-ball, before he was caught behind off Rabada just after tea.

There are few better rubbers of salt into wounds than Moeen Ali and he put on another 167 gleeful runs with Root after Stokes got out at 190-5. This was Ali at his breezy watchable best, tucking into Maharaj and creaming consecutive fours off Rabada. He finished with an unbeaten 61 of his own.

By the end it was all so easy for England, with South Africa applying no pressure in the field and even the new ball barely slowing them down. It was so drastically different from the painful first session. When Root won his first toss as captain he had no hesitation in batting but South Africa’s seamers threatened to make them look silly.

Stokes helped pull England back into the game before losing his wicket for 56 (Getty)

Vernon Philander was brilliant from the Pavilion End; he got Alastair Cook fending at a wider one for three in his second over and then trapped Keaton Jennings LBW for eight in his third. Gary Ballance dug in for a bit but he does not look very different from the batsman dropped last autumn. It was little surprise when Morkel caught him on the crease, leg before for 20.

England, strange as it might sound from the vantage point of stumps, were desperate to hang on until lunch but they could not even do that. Jonny Bairstow was another LBW victim to Philander, just before the interval, hit on the back leg, out for 10.

Suddenly a very different day, match and series appeared in front of England and in front of Joe Root. What if they had been bowled out for 180 on the first day of the Test summer, on a belter? What if Root had been caught on one of those two early chances off Rabada? What if the youth and brittleness of this team was its defining feature?

But Stokes hit his first ball for four and in truth South Africa barely threatened after that. Their brief promise gave way to immense frustration. For Root’s England, the fun had barely begun.