Joe Root digs England out of a hole with a superb century as he equals Alastair Cook’s national record to help hosts to 358-7 on first day of second Test against Sri Lanka

Joe Root sent Lahiru Kumara to the third-man boundary, removed his helmet and enjoyed love.

The celebratory ritual was not new to him, but this was special: a 33rd Test hundred, equalling Alastair Cook’s national record and helping England out of trouble on the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka.

It says everything about Root’s worth that the second consideration means more to him than the first. And the sight of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum leading the applause from the dressing room balcony must have added to his warmth.

But the statistical symbolism was undeniable: Cook and Root, two of England’s three best batsmen of the past 20 years (along with Kevin Pietersen), stand alongside each other for the time being.

Root will soon overtake Cook and this year he should reach his 12,472 runs: the 143 he made here, helping England to 358 for seven after being brought on boldly by Dhananjaya de Silva, leaves him on 12,274. For now, though, England can only be grateful for his dedication to the cause and the insatiableness of his appetite.

On Saturday night in Manchester, Root had calmly led the tricky run-chase that had given him a 1-0 lead. Now, with England at a self-inflicted 82 for three, there was work to be done again.

Their early setbacks included a dreadful dismissal from Ollie Pope, who had made just one single when he got into trouble trying to pull Asitha Fernando towards the Grand Stand and was caught at square leg by de Silva.

He has now scored 13 runs in three innings since replacing the injured Stokes, and may be wondering whether captaincy is more of a burden than a privilege.

Instead, it was Root – who had advised Pope on how to combine clout with leadership – who created a master class in accumulation while others came and went.

Ben Duckett, after a deft 40, hit a reverse sweep to the only man on the off-side fence, Harry Brook was pinned at the crease by a nip-backer from Fernando for 32, and Jamie Smith was caught behind Milan Rathnayake for 21. When Chris Woakes pulled Kumara straight to Fernando at fine leg, England were 216 for six shortly after tea, and the innings was in the balance.

The tension mounted as Root bowled a dozen balls for 99. But when he reached his final milestone – a sixth Test hundred at Lord’s equalled another record, held by Graham Gooch and Michael Vaughan – the face of the day changed.

Root was superbly supported by Gus Atkinson, who launched Prabath Jayasuriya’s left-arm spin over long-off for two sixes in successive overs, and added a third, pulled off Kamindu Mendis, on his way to a completed maiden half-century. He later pulled Kumara for another six, and finished unbeaten on 74.

Yet it was a surprise when his stand of 92 was ended by a rare Root blemish. With the second new ball less than three overs away, he was caught trying to send Rathnayake to the pavilion, and walked off cursing his misjudgment. That blow, it seems, will not leave him alone.

Lord’s, however, did not want to nitpick. It is not every day that you see greatness at work.

The mood was less forgiving before lunch, when surprise at Sri Lanka’s decision to bowl on a slow but true surface gave way to English gnashing of teeth.

When Dan Lawrence walked up to Kumara and bowled a wide ball to wicketkeeper Nishan Madushka for nine, the stage was set for Pope to impose himself – not just as captain, but as England’s No. 3.

He had spoken before the match about his struggles to compartmentalise batting and captaincy. It was refreshingly honest, and no sportsman should be criticised for that. But was it too open a window into his soul?

The result of his searing self-assessment was that the crowd could almost sense what was coming. He was beaten by Kumara on the first ball, only to be cut in two by the same bowler a moment later. When Pope struck on his seventh ball, again from Kumara, Sri Lanka briefly considered a review, before realising that the sound was that of a bat on grass.

They didn’t have to wait long. Try as he might, Pope couldn’t shake off the accusation that he was too nervous at the start of his innings. And when his back foot slipped as Fernando fell short, his body was unable to perform the pull.

England captains have produced terrible throws at Lord’s before, the most dramatic being the failed victory over Australian Ray Bright that cost Ian Botham his job in 1981.

But while Botham was famously liberated by his return to the ranks in the most famous Ashes series, Pope looks lost, let alone attempting the captaincy: he can barely manage a run.

It is only fair to say that his record at No 3 is still good: 1,620 runs at 41, with five hundreds, is by all accounts better than Root achieved when he filled that role.

But Pope has 48 Tests under his belt and is reportedly approaching his peak. Instead, England’s experiment with captaincy threatens to expose him to a gaze more uncomfortable than he can bear.

A penny for Pope’s thoughts, then, as one of his predecessors showed him how to do it.