article: On Thursday, Root himself said he was looking forward to the time when his leadership mettle would be examined. On the first day of the second Test, where South Africa moved on to 309-6, Root got his wish and, in turn, allowed the pressure to ease off the Proteas on more than one occasion. It was a fluctuating day - South Africa were attritional in the first session, fluent after lunch and had to recover following a four-wicket collapse in the evening. They were helped by England opting to use Liam Dawson ahead of fellow spinner Moeen Ali and again in the sleepy overs in the run-up to the second new ball. I'm not the only one confused by England's approach to Moeen, with both Root and coach Trevor Bayliss saying that he is now seen as the second spinner. When confidence is high - as Moeen's should be after taking 10 wickets at Lord's - it is reasonable to expect players to perform for you. Therefore, I was surprised when left-armer Dawson, despite what the England higher-ups are saying about his place in the pecking order, was used before Moeen at Trent Bridge. Media playback is not supported on this device Put simply, we know that Moeen is good enough at this level, but the same cannot yet be said about Dawson, who is playing in only his third Test. Indeed, Dawson was the most expensive of England's bowlers, often providing a release for the South Africa batsmen. It was almost as if Root felt like he had to bowl him simply because he was in the side. In all, the six bowlers that England have in their side is probably too many. It creates a problem for the captain in juggling them, and perhaps even puts doubt in a bowler's mind in that he may be thinking that he has to perform well quickly otherwise he will be replaced by one of the many other options. I would prefer to see England play an extra batsman, even if that does push the talented Moeen down to number eight. The make-up of this side is not one I expect to be mirrored during this winter's Ashes series. When England knew that the new ball was approaching, they allowed the game to drift, fiddling overs from Dawson and Keaton Jennings. It was almost as if they were waiting for James Anderson and Stuart Broad to take the wickets, rather than using the other two of their four seamers - Ben Stokes and Mark Wood - with the old ball. Often, the whole point of a new ball is that you are using it against a new batsman. England may have missed a trick by taking the foot off the gas at that moment. Root's other issue on Friday was the use of the review system, with both of England's referrals frittered away inside 24 overs. On both occasions, headstrong bowlers in Stokes and Broad wanted reviews, only to see that their lbw appeals were turned down for pretty obvious reasons. It's tricky
summary: After England handsomely defeated South Africa in the first Test at Lord's, I wrote that new captain Joe Root had been given an easy ride.