If he couldn’t quite manage the Catherine Wheels and bangers of Ben Stokes, Joe Root looked in beautiful touch in his first innings forsince stepping down from the England captaincy, wheeling out all the old favourites, from back foot punch to sweetly-time cut.
However, he was overshadowed by the young pretender, 23-year-old Harry Brook, whose golden touch with the bat this season continued with an unbeaten 110 - taking his average for the season so far to over 200. Brook got off the mark by belting a six off Simon Harmer over square leg, before sending him screaming for four; and met his century in the same way, a watch-me wallop soaring over mid-wicket.
Young Aneurin Donald, whose last two years have been made miserable by two separate ACL injuries, sung a pitch-perfect 89 to keep in the game alive at the Ageas Bowl. He marched in forwith them in an unlikely fix at 65-7, and immediately let fly, carting three sixes and eight fours, finding companionship in No 11 James Fuller.
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