Five things we learned from Foakes’ value for England to Root’s brilliance

After slipping in his socks in The Oval dressing-room last summer and ruling himself out for three months with a torn left hamstring, Ben Foakes might have been forgiven for thinking a prolonged Test career was not to be. Over the course of three and a half years, before last Thursday, he had played just 11 Tests, all of them abroad, as England threw the gloves between Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow like an undecided suitor. But at Lord’s, Foakes finally got to play a Test at home, and he was quietly excellent. He let just one bye whistle past, organised his slip cordon efficiently, snaffled five catches in typically unobtrusive style, and helped usher England to victory with the bat, happy to play second fiddle to Joe Root. And all this despite an-at-times iffy tour of the West Indies over the winter, a dubious average of 16 in his past eight Tests, plus hints from new Rob Key that he quite fancies Buttler back in the Test team.

Related: Joe Root ensures panic and caution give way to sense of the unknown | Felix White

So, we all had a hunch that Joe Root was a team man, that he would still have an appetite for run-scoring after stepping down as captain, but it was great to get that itch scratched so early into his return to the ranks. His first fourth innings Test century, his 26th in all, not only made him just the second England batter after Alastair Cook to reach 10,000 Test runs, but also won England the match. A glance up to the balcony when he reached three figures showed just how appreciated he is by his new captain and great friend, his teammates, and Lord’s, who rose as one to England’s finest batsman. If only he could find a little more support in the middle order.

After all the bottles of prosecco drunk