England 366 for 8 (Brook 91, Cox 73, Root 66, Lawrence 51, Usman 5-92) lead Pakistan 171 (Tongue 5-46, Robinson 5-51) by 195 runs

By the close of a 57-over day, however, England had still eased along to 366 for 8, a lead of 195. With the floodlights in operation throughout, they progressed at a run-rate of 4.46 that in no way paled compared to the hyperdrive antics of the ancien régime, although this time they owed their fast pace more to Pakistan’s wayward seamers than to any overt efforts to push the agenda. Four-balls were two-a-penny, and lives were in plentiful supply too – most culpably an early let-off for Brook, who had made just 1 when he flinched a regulation chance to the Pakistan captain, Salman Agha, at second slip, who bloodied his finger in the process.

By the time that opportunity had gone begging, so too had Pakistan’s realistic hopes of staying in the contest. A wicket at that moment would have capped a collapse of 3 for 7 in 14 balls, and left England tottering at 205 for 5, with Cox and Root having already fallen in consecutive overs after a third-wicket stand of 150. Instead, the let-off was perhaps the jolt that Brook needed to knuckle down and extend an extraordinary record against Pakistan that had already gleaned four centuries (including a triple) in six previous away Tests.

Certainly, the mania of Brook’s recent Test displays was very much on the back-burner – he achieved haste without speed, as he reached a 55-ball fifty with no inside-out drives over the covers or preemptive scoop shots, such as the one that had left New Zealand’s fielders so gobsmacked during their series clincher at Trent Bridge in June.

But in truth, there weren’t a whole lot of pointers to take from an uninspiring attack, in which Usman’s excellence was Pakistan’s sole redeeming feature.

England had already been sitting pretty on 112 for 2 when, after more than three hours of rain-watching, play resumed at 2.45pm. There was early assistance for Pakistan’s seamers in the juiced-up conditions, never more lavishly than when Khurram Shahzad hooped his first ball of the resumption all the way around Root’s expansive drive. But consistency proved harder to come by, and Khurram’s third over was dispatched for 17 runs, including four fours on both sides of the wicket from a gratefully free-flowing Cox.

Mohammad Abbas was the likeliest exception to that rule, but after a brace of maidens with the keeper up to the stumps, even he started to lose his line and rhythm. Cox capitalised with two more boundaries as Abbas’ hunt for inswing went awry, including a firm flick off the pads to notch his maiden Test half-century, from 78 balls.

Just as England’s pair of first-innings five-fors had come from consecutive deliveries, so Root followed suit one ball later when he worked Mohammad Ali off his toes for his own fifty. But when Usman entered the attack after the day’s first drinks break, he served notice of his threat by beating Root with a second-ball ripper that appeared to go through the top.

But that pressure, however, was again squandered when Khurram, with his first ball back at the Football Stand End, spilled a toe-ended return catch to hand Cox a life on 57. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he then repeated his half-tracker approach for three more boundaries in another expensive over.

With Cox’s maiden century looming into sight, however, Usman found more purchase from round the wicket, and the batter followed the turn with a limp back-foot push. Neither keeper nor bowler appealed with any great intent, and though umpire Chris Gaffaney immediately raised his finger, Cox burned a review amid the confusion. His misuse, however, wasn’t remotely as culpable as Root’s one over later. Khurram speared in a fuller length, Root toppled across his leg glance, and was still looking baffled as he traipsed from the field with three reds on the big-screen replay.

A better-drilled Pakistan team might have seized its chance, with two fresh batters at the crease and the lead a not-yet-daunting 31. Instead, Brook’s early chance, off Khurram, went begging, and Pakistan’s challenge dissolved like Headingley’s cardboard trays of beers, which caused plenty amusement on the big screen as they also went down with alarming frequency. Usman aside, no-one really had the gumption to do any mopping-up.