England Centurion Joe Root Exploits Dressing-Room Insight Into Mitchell Starc

When Joe Root struck his 14th boundary, a caressed cover drive against Josh Hazlewood, Brad Haddin gently put his gloves together to acknowledge a very fine century, the Yorkshire player's second against Australia. On both occasions Root has been grateful to the Australia keeper for not putting his hands together more successfully earlier in his innings. (Scorecard | Gallery)

At Lord's two years ago Haddin and Michael Clarke glared at one another when Root on four edged a ball from Shane Watson between them. Root finished with 180, a second-innings knock which set up an emphatic England victory. This innings, which was more important still since it began with England wobbling ominously on 43 for three, was also dependent on Haddin missing a difficult chance - from Root's second ball.

Root barely survived the previous delivery from Mitchell Starc. The lanky left-armer had just sent Ian Bell packing with a full-length inswinger. Root's first ball jagged into the pads off the pitch, which is even trickier to combat. All the Australians opened their lungs; the umpire Marais Erasmus was unmoved; a review was considered but Root, the mischievous Root who has occasionally displayed the capacity to wind up Australians, was smiling. He knew the ball, one of Starc's very best, had conveniently taken his inside edge before thudding into pads which were located bang in front of the stumps. The next one had Haddin sprawling to his right. Root was no longer smiling, nor was the wicketkeeper, nor Starc. (Root Promises More Aggression)

The duel between Starc and Root was compelling. In that spell an hour into the game Starc was the most dangerous bowler on the pitch, swinging the ball late at pace. Stunned by his first two deliveries, Root reacted as England had promised - with aggression.

Root tackled Starc with aggression.

© AFP

In Starc's next over Root took 11 runs from two silky drives and a back-foot punch and he was on his way. Root did not look overawed. This would probably have been the case if he had never come across Starc before. They shared a dressing room for Yorkshire twice in the County Championship in 2012. That usually helps to demystify an opponent.

If you had met any Australian before this tour and asked about Starc he or she would have taken a sharp intake of breath and raised eyebrows before reminding you Starc had just taken the new ball from Mitchell Johnson because of his pace ... and swing ... and steepling bounce. He bowled so superbly in the World Cup and in the Caribbean that Johnson just had to forfeit that new ball. Even Johnson agreed with the decision. Starc has earned his reputation, no doubt. But if you have shared a dressing room with him in Leeds, or, perhaps more relevantly, during a wet game in Colwyn Bay against Glamorgan, the mystique evaporates. The dressing rooms at Colwyn Bay are what estate agents would describe as "cosy and compact" and it rained there for most of the match in early June 2012, although Starc still managed to take two wickets. To take the positives out of what must have been a grim few days - it must have been a good place to get to know your latest overseas player, warts and all.

Perhaps Gary Ballance also benefited from that experience. He could never approach Root's fluency on Wednesday but his mind was clear and in his own idiosyncratic way when facing Starc he was playing the ball not the bowler in that crucial stand with Root.

The demystification process can be important. Mike Atherton has explained he could not take the abuse he routinely experienced early in his Test career from Merv Hughes entirely seriously partly because he had often sat in a dressing room with him after play. Atherton had chatted to him, laughed at him and witnessed his post-match aches and pains. There is always this discovery to be made: that the giants of the game are human; they may even be vulnerable. In this era that revelation is harder to discover given that players of opposite sides do not mingle as much.

Root attacked Starc with the carefree panache that he might have displayed against him in the nets at Headingley three years ago - except that Root might not have realised that he could bat with such fluency back then. He launched into drives, confident that he could adjust to the swinging ball.

In all he took 44 runs from Starc at a rate close to a run a ball, Tykes past and present relishing the contest. In the end Starc got him. This time the push-drive found the edge and Root was caught at slip. The bowler hardly celebrated even though Root is the most coveted of all the England wickets. Back in dressing rooms, rather more palatial than those in Colwyn Bay, Starc knew that his old colleague had delivered the critical innings of the day.