County Championship: Yorkshire fight back against Somerset on day three

Yorkshire had added only 11 to their overnight score when Craig Overton found a way past the outside edge of Fin Bean’s defensive push and bowled him for 12. It was 43-2 when Adam Lyth aimed a loose drive at the same bowler and edged through to wicketkeeper James Rew.

That was as good as it got for Somerset in the morning session on a now unresponsive pitch.

Root survived a huge lbw shout from a Lewis Gregory delivery on two and, having added 10, edged Migael Pretorius just short of Overton at second slip.

But, with Wharton in confident mood from the outset, the pair were soon looking comfortable, forcing Somerset to change to spin in the 26th over.

Root greeted the introduction of Archie Vaughan’s off-spin with a reverse swept four that brought up the half-century stand.

A cover driven boundary by Root off Vaughan wiped out Yorkshire’s first-innings deficit and put them two runs ahead.

By lunch, that advantage had grown to 28 with the total 140-2. Root reached a 79-ball fifty soon after the interval and Wharton followed to the same landmark off 99 deliveries, having lost nothing in comparison with his illustrious team-mate.

It was a major surprise when, with the score advanced to 166-2, Root failed to connect with a drive off a full-length ball from Overton, who celebrated extravagantly when the stumps were disturbed.

The Somerset man then went for 21 off an over as Wharton responded to losing his partner with a boundary barrage and Jonny Bairstow quickly went on the attack.