Joe Root’s inability to turn 50 into 100 threatens his place in cricket folklore England captain’s last Test century now came a year ago

Six thousand Test runs, a 41st Test fifty, and another century missed, the bones of a day that sums up the Joe Root experience. His importance to the England team is unquestioned, his significance as a cricketer of historic importance faltering on his inability to convert half-centuries into big runs.

Root brought up the 6,000 with a very un-Root-like thick edge to the boundary while attempting to drive. He was having a go, sensing the need to regain the initiative during the first hour after lunch when too few runs were scored and two wickets fell. He also provided the audience with a talking point, as only cricket can, reaching the 6k milestone quicker than any in the history of the game, five years and 231 years after debut.

Contrast that with the 19 years and 32 days it took Sir Don Bradman to reach the same tonnage. Even if we deduct the seven years that were lost to Bradman as a consequence of the Second World War, it is clear the great Australian spent more time travelling to matches than playing them. The more relevant statistic, however, is the 68 knocks it took Bradman to set the six grand bar, a full 60 fewer than Root. Don’t worry Joe, no-one comes close to the Don. His nearest rival is Sir Garfield Sobers, who reached 6,000 in 111 innings.

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Stat hammer

Continuing with the stat hammer, this was Root’s 18th fifty in his last 40 innings. With an average of 52-plus Root’s quality as a batsman is self-evident. It is his potential to dominate matches, to make his team a more compelling, successful unit that is in question. To become that player he must convert flighty fifties into hefty hundreds.

His last ton came a year ago at this ground against the West Indies, 21 knocks past. He has only three biggies in his last 40 innings, just 13 in 69 Tests. Compare that to his Indian counterpart Virat Kohli, who has hit 21 centuries and 16 fifties in 66 Tests. Ironically it was Kohli who chopped down Root on 80 with a cracking, if wholly unnecessary runout.

India have won 14 of their past 20 Test matches, England only eight. The India percentages will take some revision following the five Specsavers Tests here and four scheduled in Australia. Similarly this is England’s opportunity and Root’s to change perceptions. The English structural weaknesses we know all about resurfaced here, with an opener, in this case Alastair Cook going cheaply for 13, albeit to a belter from Ravi Ashwin, and middle order candidate Dawid Malan (8) failing another audition.

Historic rhythms

Nevertheless it was a joy to witness the historic rhythms of the English summer returned after a ridiculous two-month hiatus, Edgbaston suffused in cricket’s cosmic noise, the eternal low grade buzz that greets the players on the opening day. This was Test cricket reasserting its primacy, its authority over shorter forms of the game, a contest first of patience and watchfulness and by increments of urgency and finally, with the arrival of Jonny Bairstow in mid-afternoon, of ripe belligerence.

The question begged is why wait until the first week of August to deliver it. If this an example of how the cricketing authorities intend to put Test cricket at the centre of the piece, they need their bumps feeling. Those old enough to remember the last summer as hot as this have heads full of the reign of terror imposed by a rampant West Indies. None in 42 years’ time will recall the one-day series against Australia or who rolled whom in this summer of T20 strumpetry.

It is part of the characteristic atmosphere unique to cricket on the first morning, the fielding team owning the space, running out ahead, the batsmen following, all eyes trained on them, a bit like arriving first at a party, awkward, scrutinised, but no alcoholic adulteration to ease you through the handshakes, the air kisses, the small talk.

Snifters

A couple of snifters bowled at 85mph is generally sufficient to break the ice. It is then for the batsmen to jump on the decks and set the tempo. India turned to spin by the seventh over and had their first scalp via that very gear change in the ninth, Cook’s textbook forward defensive unequal to the guile of Ashwin. The ball saw Cook coming, drifted, dipped and turned past the bat into the timbers behind.

Jennings was watchful for his 42 and unfortunate to lose his wicket to Mohammed Shami in the way that he did, an inside edge flicking off his right heel on to leg stump, the dislodged bail apologetic as it fell. Malan was done for pace, Shami slamming a rapier into his pads. At least his exit brought Bairstow to the middle, a frontfoot smoker of bad balls and a chance-giver off good ones until he lost his mind and called for that second run. Cue the return of that old England staple – the collapse. Cricket, bloody hell.