Tuesday 26 July 2016 06:11, UK
Fortress Old Trafford proved a happy hunting ground for England once more as they demolished Pakistan by 330 runs to level the four-match series.
We already knew England would come back hard after losing at Lord's, so what did we learn in Manchester?
Bumble's Brassica
He's a man of the people, is Bumble, but that didn't stop Nasser Hussain and Mike Atherton giving David Lloyd a right good ribbing for his attire and, er, holiday home when they stumbled across a rather glowing newspaper article on the lad.
I'll be honest, I've never seen Bumble in a three-piece tweed suit either but I'm pretty sure he wears the label of a 'legendary' commentator well. The carefully ordered homestead pictured in the newspaper photograph was swiftly undermined by the chaos Bumble brought to the third man seat as he struggled to deal with a rogue cable, holding it aloft for all to see.
His knowledge of Brassica is of the highest order, however, as he demonstrated during our Saturday Debate. If you want a few tips for your allotment, Bumble's still your man…
How to nullify Yasir
England fought back like cornered Lions - the gulf between the teams quite staggering in terms of runs scored for wickets lost (762-9 plays 432-20). Most tellingly, Alastair Cook and Joe Root neutralised the leading Test bowler in the world - Yasir Shah returning 1-266 after having England in all sorts at HQ to grab 10-for.
True, there wasn't much in the pitch for the leggie on day one but with expectation high he bowled a fraction too quick, enabling England's batsmen to pick off his flatter trajectory on the back foot. Without a total on the board behind him - this was the first time England have batted first against Yasir in a Test - the spinner lost patience surprisingly quickly and we'll find out in the two-day friendly against Worcestershire at the end of the week if a fourth morning pep talk from Shane Warne perks him up.
Root's a quick learner
Poor shot selection was one of the criticisms levelled against England's batters after the Lord's loss and while James Vince, caught on the drive again, didn't learn from previous mistakes Root did - adapting his game to astonishing effect to become the first Englishman to score a Test double century at Old Trafford since Ken Barrington in 1964.
Top of the improvement list was the way he eliminated risk, even if that meant scoring at a slower rate on day one. The slog-sweep was kept firmly in the locker in favour of playing much straighter - in particular against Yasir - yet England still ticked over at a decent Test match tempo and Root's reward was a first hundred since Johannesburg in January, the frustration of failing to turn three subsequent fifties into three figures eased if not erased.
The ruthlessness of his second innings strokeplay had Pakistan on the run to an almost embarrassing extent and when added to five catches and a bonus wicket, made it a pretty perfect Test.
Follow-on follow-up
"There was a lot of time left in the game and we didn't have a tee-time on the fifth day at 10 o'clock," quipped a cheeky Trevor Bayliss, answering yet another question on why England chose not to enforce the follow-on despite securing a 391-run first-innings cushion.
In the final analysis, it mattered not a jot that England batted again - indeed it allowed Cook and Root to fill their boots to the brim. Beefy observed, 'there are many ways to skin a cat' and yet it escaped no-one's attention that Mickey Arthur was a rare voice of support for the decision, which in itself should say something.
Paul Farbrace stated England simply wanted to bat while the wicket was still good but you can't help feel that the impact a high-intensity schedule has on seam bowlers played its part in the decision, particularly given the hardness of the Old Trafford pitch, with injuries the last thing on England's wish-list…
Choked for Stokes
…but an injury there was nonetheless, Ben Stokes sustaining a calf strain while bowling on the fourth afternoon. You have to feel for the lad, having just returned from knee surgery, which itself came on top of that shoulder problem sustained over the winter when he dived and did himself a mischief. With Chris Woakes in such prime form with the ball and having to bat all the way down at nine (when not required to be one of the most highly-qualified night-watchman in English Test history), it's a setback England can perhaps afford but that doesn't make it any less jarring.
The dressing room door must still be vibrating after feeling the force of Stokes' dismay. Maybe, though, just maybe should Stokes be ruled out for the next Test this is a chance for England to mix things up a little bit and if Adil Rashid is still to be banished to the sidelines, what price an eagerly-awaited return for that Ashes-winner Mark Wood?
Watch day one of the third Test between England and Pakistan live on Sky Sports 2 from 10am on Wednesday, August 3.
