Master and apprentice is a phrase you often hear when Joe Root and Harry Brook are at the crease together. Yet the roles could so readily have been reversed in the Second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, after the Decision Review System had both men lbw to balls clipping leg-stump.
Looking back on the first day at Lord’s, England were struggling for rhythm and just as they started to get going, Sri Lanka would chip away with another wicket. Enter Joe Root to stabilise things and put England on track for a fine first innings total.
Apart from its rich legacy, and the historical importance of the games that are played in a fiercely competitive division structure, one of the main things that made me fall in love with county cricket was its altruistic aspect.