England's Jonny Bairstow plays a shot on the second day of the second Test cricket match between England and Pakistan at Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester, England on July 23, 2016. / AFP / OLI SCARFF England's Jonny Bairstow plays a shot on the second day of the second Test cricket match between England and Pakistan at Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester, England on July 23, 2016. - AFP-

MANCHESTER: Joe Root hit a career-best 254 as England declared its first innings at a massive 589-8 to put pressure on Pakistan on day two of the second test yesterday. Root batted resolutely for over 10 hours on an easy paced wicket, hitting 27 fours and facing 406 balls before England declared 30 minutes after tea.

Root got useful support from Chris Woakes and Jonny Bairstow, who both scored 58 and featured in century stands with Root after England resumed overnight on 314-4, with Root 141 not out after he had shared a second-wicket stand of 185 with skipper and fellow senior batsman Alastair Cook (105).

But although sent in as a nightwatchman, Warwickshire all-rounder Chris Woakes showed his batting class during a boundary-filled fifty yesterday.

Woakes was the dominant partner in a fifth-wicket stand of 103 with Root. Two not out overnight, Woakes-who has scored nine first-class hundreds was soon demonstrating a fundamentally orthodox batting technique. When Rahat Ali, one of Pakistan's trio of left-arm quicks along with Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz, dropped short, he was cut for four by Woakes. Next ball, when Rahat over-pitched, Woakes cover-drove him for another boundary.

There was a brief hold-up when Woakes was struck on the right arm by Rahat. But when Amir, who appeared to be struggling with a niggling injury, dropped short outside off stump, Woakes uppercut him for six high over third man. Meanwhile a single off Rahat saw Root to 150 in 269 balls including 18 fours.

The Yorkshireman had batted for six hours without giving a chance on Friday but on 155 he had a reprieve when an outside edge off leg-spinner Yasir Shah just carried to slip.

But Younis Khan was slow to react to the difficult low catch. Woakes's 104-ball innings, which included eight fours and a six, ended when he chipped a return catch straight back to Shah to leave England 414 for five.

That gave Shah then-innings figures of one for 139 in 38.4 overs-a marked contrast to his man-of-the-match return of 10 for 141 during Pakistan's 75-run win in the first Test at Lord's last week.

England, 427 for five at lunch, lost just the one wicket in the second session when left-hander Ben Stokes was given out caught behind on review down the legside off Riaz on 34.

Stokes was originally given not out by on-field umpire Kumar Dharmasena. A protracted review suggested there was not clear evidence to overturn his call but third umpire Joel Wilson eventually decided to reverse the decision much to all-rounder Stokes's evident surprise.

Poor fielding has been a feature of Pakistan's play this series and Bairstow was reprieved on nine when he edged Shah only for wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed to fumble the catch, after several juggled attempts.

Pakistan were reduced to bringing on part-time medium pacer Shan Masood and he was promptly no-balled first delivery after knocking over the stumps with his trailing leg.

Top-ranked test leg-spinner Yasir Shah made an unwelcome double century of his own, finishing on 1-213. He got little support from his fielders as Root was dropped on 155 and Bairstow let off on 9.

In an attempt to score quickly after tea, Root departed when he skied a catch to a diving Mohammad Hafeez off left-arm Wahab Riaz (3-106). Pakistan, which won the first test by 75 runs at Lord's, was 15-0 after nine overs, still 574 runs behind. - Agencies