THE STORY FROM MANCHESTER: DAY 3 INSIGHT
By James Wallace

There was a moment when this game tipped the scales. Sure, we’d had whip-crack narrative drama and a box set style finale pay-off with Zak Crawley’s century on day two. We’d had feats of ingenuity and impishness from Joe Root and a laconic daydream of a knock from Moeen Ali at No.3. We’d had intrigue and theatre in spades. The 102nd over of England’s innings after lunch on day three brought the onset of comedy.
With the score on 536-9, Ben Stokes’ side are pressing the game forward with a restless, relentless momentum. They h...