Friday 7 July 2017 18:16, UK
What a start to Joe Root's captaincy!
I can't remember mine being quite so successful; perhaps I did also get hundred, but maybe against my name in the bowling column.
I never had any doubts about Root. Some have said that the captaincy would affect his batting, but I've never been one to subscribe to that theory.
If you've got the quality in your technique and the temperament already to play Test cricket, then the captaincy shouldn't affect your game.
The one thing Root has rightly been accused of though is failing to go on to big scores in the last 12 or 18 months, but he has put all that to bed with his magnificent unbeaten 184 on day one at Lord's.
He has ultimate confidence in his own ability. Such a skilful player, he keeps the momentum of the innings going without having to come in like a one-day player and smash boundaries.
He knows exactly where the gaps in the field are. So often on this first day we've seen him just angle the ball gently away for four. Genuine cricketing nous and batting acumen.
Though we may have seen a slightly safe team selection for his opening Test in charge, Root's batting, as we've grown so accustomed to, was anything but.
England has stated, and even the ECB Chief Executive, Tom Harrison, has stated, that to attract young people into the game, this team has to play attractive cricket. Root is the man to take England forward with that mission in mind.
People have said he is too young or inexperienced for the captaincy, and a lot thought Alastair Cook should carry on in the role.
But, the fact is, England lost eight Test matches in 2016, and Root is actually a very wise head on young shoulders. It's easy to forget that he's playing in his 54th Test match, more than Donald Bradman ever played.
While his actual captaincy experience with county and country is very limited, you only have to talk to the guy on the subject of cricket and he speaks with an authority way beyond his years. You'd think you were talking to a 40-year-old.
He always had the initials FEC after his name. Much like Michael Atherton, he's forever been considered a future England captain. Almost since the very day he came out of nappies.
And oddly for Joe, he's had an even longer wait than normal to start the job, what with the amount of white-ball cricket coming before this first Test.
But from the word go, you could tell the confidence was there early on. Win your first toss, watch the sun come out and, despite a green tinge to the pitch, bat first.
We'll find out a bit more about him once England are in the field. You're always to some degree at the mercy of your bowlers, but I'm sure Root will get as much out of them as Cook managed to.
Cook took on the more conservative points of his predecessor Andrew Strauss' captaincy, though when Trevor Bayliss arrived, that changed. He freed up as a character.
Bayliss is a very relaxed individual and lets the players express themselves: the perfect partner for Root's captaincy.
England need to stop the rot in terms of Test match defeats. They've certainly got the right man in charge.
Bob Willis and The Verdict will come live following the day's play at every Test match this summer, only on Sky Sports.
