First came the apprentices, and then, definitely, the wizard, for England finally looked like a real test squad, playing in the dynamic way required of them.
Alex Lees had to channel, as he had said he would, his inner Matthew Hayden and carry the attack to New Zealand in a positive but far from reckless way.
Then there was Olly Pope, who justified the faith shown in him by the new leadership, with a century of high class, which reminded us why not so long ago he was considered the next great test batman of England in creation.
Ollie Pope (right) and Joe Ruth (left) have helped each other for several exceptional centuries
Ollie Pope was moving toward the first century in her homeland until England broke away
Pope (left) and Joe Ruth (right) steered England to lunch just two doors down
Joe Ruth played a distinctive cover drive while giving a bright start to his innings on Trent Bridge
And then, glorious, there was the remarkable figure of Joe Route, who makes a hundred more and does his business with joy and enthusiasm, but above all the great skill that marks him more and more as one of the greatest who ever played the game.
Together, the trio were responsible for the very promising third day of this second test, when no less than 383 runs expired and England showed they were not just trying to save the match after allowing 553. They want to try to win it. .
Yes, this Trent Bridge pitch was level, the conditions were perfect for running, two more chances fell and New Zealand lost one of their best bowls when Kyle Jamieson had to leave the pitch with back pain. But this was a true statement of the “new” England.
It was a statement that captain Ben Stokes may have gone a little too far when he tried to break debuting spinning Michael Bracewell from the attack and gave 46 of 33 balls when he had another big contribution to make.
Root once again showed why he is considered one of the best Batmans in the world
But apparently Stokes is determined to be ultra-positive at all times and is willing to sacrifice himself in the name of full attack if it sets a selfless example for his team.
The biggest example, of course, is given by the man replaced by Stokes, because Root raises his game, if possible, to even greater heights, now he does not have to worry about the requirements of the captain’s post.
Last Sunday, Root did one of the greatest of his 26 hundredth test in winning the first test at Lord’s, and now his 27th was his fastest, reaching only his 116th ball as New Zealand was forced to defend himself after doing all the running for the first two days.
It had all the classic ingredients of a Root sto, an almost effortless and elegant punch game, but also an echo of two greats of the past.
First there was Viv Richards’ touch on the way Root pulled Matt Henry in four. Then, at the end of a running day, there was a little Kevin Petersen for the sensational foursome of desperate Tim Southey.
It wasn’t perfect. When Ruth was 27, he cut off Trent Boult and Southee on a second pass could only push the “chance” over the “bar”. Then, at 52, Root somehow tried to sweep Southy away when he faced a 7-2 offside field and thought he had given it away when he put the ball high in Nottingham’s sky. Fortunately for him, the ball landed safely when Tom Blundle sprinted to a deep square leg, where Jamieson wavered fatally.
England players applaud as they watch Root reach his age at Trent Bridge
Otherwise, it was exalted by Ruth, who had as much fun as before and even had time to make a young spectator day by stopping to sign a bat on the way to tea.
It was his fourth penny this year, his tenth since early 2021 and his fourth at Trent Bridge. If he stays in shape, there is no limit to what Root can do in the next few years.
The biggest compliment that could be given to Pope was when it was easy to mistake him for Ruth. Stokes was adamant that he wanted Surrey on his side when he became captain, and she believed in him so much that she asked him to hit where he had never hit first-class cricket, in the troubled position of three.
He actually looked two places too high before now, but although Pope could have left on Saturday when he was ousted at 37 by Daryl Mitchell, it was the perfect demonstration of his enormous orthodox talent.
Pope received help when four downsides from Mitchell took him to 95 and then, when he reached his first century after that breakthrough hundred in Port Elizabeth 33 innings ago, there were happy celebrations, not least of Ruth, who hit the air and raced to hug his young teammate.
As a matter of fact, Lees also had to make a hundred and will be kicked out for getting rid of Henry and handing him out at 67, while Johnny Beerstow missed when the review found he had transferred Boult to Blundell.
But Root remains 163 out of 200 and with him is Ben Fox, who missed out on nine from Will Young as New Zealand continue to have the same problems on the field that England are suffering.
England are now only 80 runs behind, the ball has started to turn for Bracewell and New Zealand can, just can get under a little pressure in the third inning.
The tie remains a big favorite, but strange things have happened since the victory for both sides. England only need to remember the ash test of 2006 in Adelaide, when both teams made over 500 in their first innings, but Australia still managed to win to remember this.
More importantly, this is the way Stokes and Brendan McCallum want to play, and even two long days on the field before, costly missed chances and significant pressure on the scoreboard have affected their positive intentions. This can only be encouraging for England.
Alex Lees stares at the sky with disappointment after losing his door for 67 on the third day
New Zealand is celebrating after Matt Henry made a breakthrough and eliminated discoverer Alex Lees
Alex Lees and Olli Pope shake hands for their partnership of 100 on the third day
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