County Championship: Joe Root hits century on third day of Roses match

Joe Root scored his 37th first-class century

Joe Root's maiden Roses century - secured with England colleague James Anderson in opposition - gave Yorkshire a realistic chance of a County Championship draw against Lancashire at Headingley.

The 31-year-old has slotted seamlessly back into county cricket having resigned as England's Test captain last month, posting 75 in a draw at Essex last week followed by this serene 147 off 218 balls.

Yorkshire, replying to a first-innings 566-9 declared, are aiming to extend their unbeaten start to 2022 to a fifth game and started the day on 53-2.

By the close, they had reached 356-8 from 118 overs, 210 behind and 61 short of the follow-on target.

Root, whose previous Roses best was 22 in six innings, shared 154 for the sixth wicket from late morning to midway through the evening with Harry Duke, the young wicketkeeper who made a dogged 40.

He also shared 66 for the fifth wicket in as many balls with Harry Brook, who continued his red-hot form with a rapid 41.

Tom Bailey and Matt Parkinson stood out with three wickets apiece for Lancashire, the latter getting Root caught at slip late in the day to open up the prospect of a third Red Rose win of the season.

Brook played superbly during his 33-ball innings. While it was the only period in the day when Lancashire's bowlers erred, Brook drove with supreme confidence in an innings more eye-catching than Root's.

The 23-year-old missed out on joining Geoffrey Boycott, Darren Lehmann and Anthony McGrath in posting seven successive fifties for Yorkshire but took his tally of Division One runs to 676 at an average just over 135.

It would be a major surprise if he does not make his England Test debut during the next couple of months. If he does, he will line up alongside former national captain Root.

The latter was far more understated but no less confident in the Leeds sunshine and faced Anderson (1-83 from 24 overs) on a pitch still good for batting though showing signs of some uneven bounce.

Root clipped his England colleague to fine leg for his first boundary and edged him wide of the slips for another on the way to a pre-lunch half-century off 73 balls.

Shortly after the break, he caressed a drive against him through the covers for another four as Yorkshire moved to 182-5.

The morning yielded three wickets for the Red Rose, claimed by Bailey, Anderson and Parkinson.

Bailey had nightwatchman Tom Loten lbw with a looping slower ball, Anderson gave opener George Hill (25) a working over with the short ball and had him caught at midwicket off a miscued pull and Parkinson bowled an advancing Brook as the score fell to 134-5 after 41 overs.

Root edged Luke Wood between keeper and slip before pushing onto three figures, achieved off 150 balls in the dying embers of the afternoon with a worked single to leg off Parkinson (3-79 from 34 overs).

Yorkshire batted through the afternoon unbeaten, reaching tea at 251-5.

Root also swept and reverse-swept with authority against the leg-spin of Parkinson.

His sixth-wicket partner Duke dropped anchor at the other end before being bowled trying to scoop Parkinson as the score fell to 288-6 in the 101st over.

Bailey, Lancashire's best bowler on show with three for 56 from 25 overs, trapped Dom Bess lbw the over before Parkinson had Root caught at slip trying to work to leg as the score fell to 331-8 to give the Red Rose encouragement.

Report supplied by the ECB Reporters' Network.