Joe Root and Harry Brook put England in strong position against West Indies
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Joe Root and Harry Brook scored hundreds for England, setting a target of 385 for the West Indies to chase in the second Test at Trent Bridge.
On a pitch that was not challenging, the Yorkshire pair put on a strong performance. Root scored his 32nd Test century, while Brook quickly earned his fifth in only 14 matches.
This was the younger man's first century on his home turf, with previous hundreds in Rawalpindi, Multan, Karachi, and Wellington. Meanwhile, Root has scored five centuries in Nottingham alone.
The duo had a strong partnership, scoring 189 runs together for the fourth wicket and helping the team reach a total of 425 runs. This achievement makes them the first England XI team to score over 400 runs in both innings of a Test match.
With only four sections remaining in the match, England had the upper hand in securing the 10 wickets necessary for a series victory. However, the visiting team bowled with determination, giving themselves a glimmer of hope.
England started the day with a lead of 207 runs from their previous score of 248 for three. Root and Brook were settled and focused on maintaining their advantage.
During the following two games, they achieved a total of 177 runs for seven wickets, with the only major challenge coming from three late wickets towards the end of the morning session. Brook initiated the mini fall with his smooth innings ending in an outside edge off Jayden Seales, followed by Ben Stokes hitting to fine leg and Jamie Smith getting nicked out on the last ball before lunch.
This put Root in a position to increase the lead, and he managed the situation with ease, achieving a milestone of 32 Test centuries, which put him on par with Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, and Steve Waugh. He is now only one century away from surpassing the leading Englishman, Sir Alastair Cook.
In the beginning of the game, Brook was the main player, hitting the fifth ball of the morning hard through the field as he started to increase his score from the day before.
He was even more forceful when Seales pitched the ball too far, hitting a straight shot down the field for four points.
The West Indies attempted to throw off Brook's focus with short deliveries, but only one particularly aggressive delivery, from Shamar Joseph, seemed to challenge him. Brook easily reached a score of 99 with a well-placed shot off Alzarri Joseph, before quickly running for a single to complete his century.
Brook handled the moment calmly, while his teammates stood up on the balcony to applaud his hard work. Just a couple of balls later, Root reached a simple half-century and his fellow players were once again on their feet. Root's innings lacked excitement, but he consistently scored runs without taking risks.
Brook suffered the consequences of his first mistake of the day when he hit the ball straight into Josh Da Silva's hands while trying to increase his tally of 13 boundaries.
Stokes had the perfect opportunity to show his skills, but he fell right into a trap and hit the ball directly to the fielder, showing a lack of determination.
The visitors took one more wicket in the last ball of the session, Kevin Sinclair getting a slight edge as Smith tried to play a flat off-break delivery.
Root effortlessly reached his century in the afternoon, taking only 158 deliveries to achieve this feat. He hit a seventh four through the off side before surprising everyone with a reverse ramp shot over the slips off Shamar Joseph.
His dismissal was a gentle chip to short cover that ended the innings. Seales finished with a well-deserved four wickets by getting rid of Mark Wood and Shoaib Bashir without scoring any runs.
