Joe Root shines the ball through Jack Leach’s clean-shaven head

The Rawalpindi Test has been fairly lopsided hitherto in terms of the contest between bat and ball. After England posted a mammoth 657 in the first innings, Pakistan batters made hay on the benign track as well as the openers Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq scored centuries each to build a 225-run partnership.

Keeping the ball shiny from one side is imperative to boost prospects of reverse swing, the last resort for seamers in such unforgiving conditions. Generally the fielders use their whites to keep the lacquer pristine, but Joe Root found a hilarious way by rubbing the ball gently against Jack Leach’s clean shaven head.