Genuinely one of the best tweets we've been sent. Hats off, Jon. Olivier carries on charging in, two slips and a gully getting down low as Root lets a ball fly past his off stump. There's some natty footwork from Aleem Dar on show as he grabs the ball between his feet and kicks it upwards to Olivier, who watches on admiringly. Skills.

Jon Barbuti: My nine is better than my two. My eight could be a five. My one and four are best of all. What, to quote Henry Kelly, am I?

That's the 10th successive Test that Root has reached at least 50 in. It's some stat. Another lbw appeal against Ben Stokes, on the sweep to Maharaj again, but that looked to be drifting down leg. It's a quiet over from England, just one coming from it as Stokes charges down the wicket.

Root's not had it all his own way - here's the gaffe by Quinton de Kock that offered the England captain an extra life.

50 for Rootpublished at 63.5 overs

63.5 overs

Eng 182-4

Duanne Olivier has had a change of ends, presumably to give Morne Morkel a rest. A fine turn and throw in the field from Temba Bavuma stops Root stealing a single from the first ball, before the England captain digs out a fine yorker. A flick off the pads gets the crowd on their feet as Root brings up his half-century, just as the sun comes out from behind the clouds. It's been a good knock from Root so far, and he's starting to go on the attack.

Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport at Old Trafford

Game on, pausing to applaud Joe Root's 5,000th Test run.

Root swishes furiously at Maharaj - you get the impression that both these batsmen fancy a dart at the spinner. A leisurely single brings Stokes on strike and he gets on one knee to slog sweep, missing the ball by a mile and getting thwacked on the pad for his troubles. Maharaj appealed, but that pitched outside the line.

Andrew Samson
BBC Test Match Special statistician

Root is the third youngest to reach 5,000 Test runs. Only Sachin Tendulkar and Alastair Cook are ahead of him.

Morne's going to carry on. A penny for his thoughts. He's got Ben Stokes in his sights, and a leggy delivery is pulled off the hip and away for a handy three. Root is back on strike and I'm not sure he's entirely comfortable, facing Morkel. He can't resist a push forward at another delivery that hugs off stump, before a lovely off-drive adds another few runs to the total. The crowd applaud as that takes Root to 5,000 Test runs. Root acknowledges the response then leans on his bat and yawns.

Image source, Rex Features

Jonathan Agnew
BBC cricket correspondent on TMS

It's been a fighting day. It's been harder for England than I thought it would be. It's not as easy to score runs as it looks.

The look on Morne's face when that ball when sailing past the keeper was a picture. Utter bemusement. Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj is back on, and Stokes punches a drive away for three. That's better from Maharaj, getting Stokes to grope forwards, but the edge zips wide of Dean Elgar at slip for a single. Root goes through his gardening routine and then promptly defends the rest of the over.

Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special

Joe's laughing - he knows he's got away with one. The keeper was going for it, then just stopped. It was a beautiful delivery from Morne Morkel. It's a big mistake by De Kock.

Image source, Getty Images

Missed chancepublished at 60 overs

60 overs

Eng 165-4

What is Quinton de Kock doing?! Oh, that is awful from the South Africa keeper. Root flashes hard outside off stump, it flies through at catchable height to de Kock - and he just stands and watches it go past him. That is terrible. De Kock has caught more difficult ones than that today, and now he's let a sitter go past him!

Don't worry Tim, no-one ever asks for my opinion, either. It doesn't stop me giving it. For example: salad is rubbish and is nothing more than crunchy water. Anyway. Root can't resist a flirt at a Morkel tempter outside off stump, and he wanders off to have a chat to himself as the ball flies through to the keeper. There's not as much movement for the big man as there was this morning though, and Root shoulders arms to the next few balls.

Tim Spalding: Even though literally no one has asked for my opinion on this... I like Malan and Westley and definitely think they should stay.

Here's Duanne Olivier, and there goes Duanne Olivier! Root clonks a lovely drive through the covers and not even a damp outfield can stop that one hitting the boundary rope. Olivier sniffs as Root gets a single, and then serves up something juicy on the leg stump that Stokes whips for four. That was lovely from Stokes, just rocking back slightly to help it down to the boundary. Olivier goes full - and that's been given the full Stokes treatment! A whirl of the wrists and that's got four written all over it. A profitable over for England.

Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special

Engand have knuckled down today and played proper cricket. At least it's been a proper contest. Our opening batsman Keaton Jennings, though, should be watching Ben Stokes bat now. He bends his knee and puts the bad ball away. He looks like a batsman.

Image source, Getty Images

The first ball is shortish, and Root gratefully cuts it away for a single. Vice-captain Ben Stokes, who I think is probably the cricketer that looks most like he should be in some sort of rock band, wobbles his bat and plonks the ball either side of him. Just the one from that over.

The players are back out on the field, along with the sunshine. It'll be Morne Morkel to get things started.

This is the latest England wicket to fall; Dawid Malan playing this shot, about five minutes before the break. Geoffrey has just said he "doesn't know" what to make of Malan. Decide for yourselves below...