Harry Brook avoided the wrath of his skipper after delivering a record breaking third hundred in as many matches to make up for his part in a brutal run out.
Brook torched his skipper in the mix up, turning down a third run, but making sure he got his own bat down in the crease just moments before Ben Stokes ran past, thus ensuring he was safe and a member of the self-preservation society.
It was an act of instinctive selfishness which is a trait the very best batters often share, in the knowledge that their wicket is the most prized of all and they are best placed to make the most of any innings.
That was what Stokes hoped for as he departed, offering calm reassurance rather than anger or frustration, and they were both proved right as Brook progressed from the 42 he was on up to the 111 he had made when Mohammad Wasim eventually accounted for him.
Brook’s tour de force helped England to 354 all out and a 50-run lead, when Ollie Robinson was the final man out, with fifties from Ben Foakes and Ollie Pope also doing a bit of heavy lifting. But as useful as those contributions were, it was Brook and his Pakistan love affair that captivated the viewers throughout an engaging and entertaining second day.
For some players certain venues and certain countries just really suit them and their style of play, like Wally Hammond in Australia, Colin Cowdrey in West Indies, or Alastair Cook in India.
Brook has found that to be the case here, either when he came and won the Pakistan Super League with the Lahore Qalanders, averaging 53 in the process, or when he returned for the T20s with England and averaged 79.
Whenever he gets the chance to bat out here the runs just flow and the hundreds keep on coming, and a third hundred of the series that made sure England enjoyed a third first innings lead out of three, was almost inevitable.
Watching on from the commentary box was David Gower, the man who used to be considered the prince of Pakistan after scoring a record 449 runs on tour here in 1984. Brook went past Gower’s tally to set a new mark of 468, with the power to potentially add more in the second innings depending on how well Pakistan go themselves.
And while they both share the ability to play the ball with exquisite timing and with an unhurried air about their batting, the major difference between the old and new master is that Brook connected with 12 sixes along the way, 12 more than Gower managed.
And all those blows have all gone into making England the sixiest Test team of all time as they beat India’s record of 87, set last year for the most sixes in a calendar year.
Foakes’ 64 was another important knock for the stumper, who continues to show his value every time he plays, while Rehan Ahmed’s three ball one before clothing a hoick to mid-wicket will need to be chalked up to youthful exuberance.
