New England captain Joe Root plunders South Africa with 184 not out at Lords

  • 07/07/2017

Joe Root made the most of his good fortune and substantial skills as he marked his first day as Test captain with a century England badly needed against South Africa at Lord's.

Root (184 not out) might easily have fallen to Kagiso Rabada on five or 16 on his way to and well beyond a 150-ball century which contained 15 fours and aided his team's recovery after Vernon Philander had taken three early wickets.

South Africa had England 2-17, and then 4-76. But the tourists simply did not help themselves, and Root very much did in century stands for the fifth and sixth wickets with Ben Stokes (56) and Moeen Ali (61 not out) in a stumps total of 5-357.

Root, who won the toss on a glorious day, responded to early travails to complete his 12th century in his 54th Test.

He found himself in the middle much sooner than hoped as Philander nipped out both openers cheaply, but went on to become the sixth England captain in Test history to make a hundred in his first innings in charge

He became the sixth Englishman to score a century in his first Test as captain and admitted it was special.

"I rode my luck at the start, it just seemed to be one of those days where everything went right and I capitalised," he said.

"It is very special, you want to start well as captain and you want to set the example.

"You have been harping on at the lads about how you want them to approach the cricket and you want to make sure you go out and do exactly what you've preached about for the last couple of days.

"It is a nice start, that's all it is, there's no point thinking this is it. I have to kick on and carry on and make sure we have a strong start to the series and the summer but I am obviously very delighted with how it's gone."

Philander struck in his second and third overs as Root's captaincy predecessor Alastair Cook and then Keaton Jennings succumbed, as did Jonny Bairstow after Gary Ballance fell to Morne Morkel.

On a pitch tinged with green and providing good carry, Cook went caught-behind when Philander got one to run down the slope for an outside edge as England's all-time record runscorer pushed out slightly away from his body on the back foot.

The circumstances of England's second early departure were regrettable.

Umpire Sundaram Ravi took his time before giving Jennings out lbw pushing forward.

The opener consulted Ballance at the non-striker's end, but neither opted for a review which would have reprieved Jennings both on the basis that the ball pitched outside leg-stump and was not going on to hit it either.

Root's first slice of luck against South Africa's first-change fast bowler came when he failed to control a hook only to see the ball sail just over substitute fielder Aiden Markram.

His second came before lunch as he speared a drive on the up straight through JP Duminy's hands above his head at gully, leaving the visitors to wonder what might have been at stumps.

Reuters