It's the big sleep as Root and mates host slumber party

SLOW DAY: Root raised the tempo but failed to hit 100

- By Mike Walters

JOE ROOT turned his big sleep into a nap hand on the day England put the zzz into Bazzzball - and the purists loved it.

Teammate Mark Wood revealed on Test Match Special that Root missed their dinner appointment on Wednesday night because his siesta after net practice turned into a long slumber.

But England's leading scorer was wide awake as he moved to the brink of his 37th Test century, and a record eighth at Lord's, to keep them afloat at 251-4 in the third Test against India.

If being stranded on 99 not out overnight is the stuff of sleepless nights, Root needn't worry.

In all 17 instances of a player being one short of a century overnight in Test history, none has failed to turn it into three figures.

Dislodged at the top of the Test batting charts by his Yorkshire teammate Harry Brook last week, Root's unbeaten 99 is likely to restore him to the No.1 spot after another masterclass of discipline and class.