Denesh Ramdin turns back to paceman Jerome Taylor before lunch. Taylor is sporting a neat little pointy goatee today - the kind of beard you mould yourself out of suds in a bubble bath. Or at least I do. It's fairly wayward stuff from the Jamaican bowler, until he gets one straighter and it fizzes millimetres past Cook's forward push. A maiden.

Pat in Leicester: Re Richard in Sheffield (16:41) and fourth day Ashes tickets they should be fine, it's a full refund for no overs in a day. It's the poor souls who have paid £100+ for 40 sorry overs on day three I'm worried about. Now where did I put that bottle of scotch?....

Martin in London: I'd give my left kidney for Cook to knock a ton now. A swaying ship needs a captain to steady her.

And immediately Cook takes advantage of his good fortune by sweeping Permaul powerfully for four.

John Fryer: That was out, Cook should be gone, sorry.

Third-umpire fans will know how this one goes: a few grainy shots of the ball entering the hands in close proximity to the ground, before the inevitable 'not out' verdict. I tell you what though, I think Cook is lucky here - that looked to me like it bounced off the splayed fingers off Shai Hope at short leg and wet straight into his hands. but the England captain gets the benefit of the doubt.

Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special

"I was doubtful that it carried. If I was Cook, I'd be standing too, I wouldn't be going for that."

Veerasammy Permaul is on to bowl and he think he might have got Cook, caught at short leg. It looks doubtful, but we're going to check...

Charlie Rhodes: Really solid innings from Cook whilst wickets fall around him. He looks in control. Root just needs more of the same!

Gary Zielosko: If Cook is going to get a century with any man at the other end, it'll be Joe Root, he brings so much calm to the middle.

A bit flaky in the head, Geoffrey? I think there's a shampoo you can get for that. Root whips Samuels into the leg side for a brisk two to bring up the England 50.

Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special

"They should get another slip in. If they get another wicket before lunch on a flat wicket on a lovely sunny day? 'Wow' you'd say. Bell's dismissal was poor, sometimes you think he is a bit flaky in the head."

Richard in Sheffield: Anyone who has bought tickets for day four of an Ashes Test must be starting to get worried...

Root's arrival at the crease has tended to have the effect of a strong double-shot espresso on the usually slumbering England innings throughout this series and he's quickly into the energiser act here. He times a poor ball from Holder off his legs to the midwicket boundary, and then wakes Alastair Cook up with a very sharp single to mid-off.

Huw Braithwaite: One positive to take from this: can't remember the last time England were three down this early and Cook was still at the crease!

Tino Best
West Indies fast bowler on BBC Test Match Special

"Root reminds me of Steve Waugh, maybe Mark Waugh too. He looks like he has a lot of time and that is the hallmark of a very good player."

Samuels continues, jaws chomping away lazily on a stick of gum as ever. Root, who has tended to start busily in what's been a remarkable personal series, is off the mark with a nudge off the pads.

Sanj: Looks like it has to be Joe Root to the rescue again! The Australia pace attack is going to murder our line-up in the summer.

Elliott Bewley: England are obviously just flying through their order to give Joe Root time to pick up a double ton.

Andrew Samson
BBC Test Match Special statistician

"If Root gets another fifty here he equals the world record of seven in succession."

What better man to come to the crease with England in a spot of bother than Joe Root, arguably the form batsman in world cricket at the moment. Surely he can steady the ship? Tell you what though, he's not far away from getting a tickle on an attempted dab from another sharp Holder delivery.

Image source, AP

England are wobbling now. Ian Bell tries to drive Jason Holder back down the ground but is into the shot too early and the 6ft 7 Holder snakes out one of his long tentacles to snaffle the return catch. Bell tears off his helmet in disgust.

Image source, Reuters

With a new batsman at the crease, surely now is the time to bring back one of the West Indies seamers at the other end. Nope, it's Marlon Samuels to continue for the moment, waddling gingerly to the crease and sending down six balls that Alastair Cook dead-bats away quite nonchalantly.