Rogers shines as tourists progress (From Preston and Leyland Citizen)

The England captain was standing in the slips, and as a ball was edged in his direction it looked like being a routine field for him to stop a run.

The biggest talking point on the internet from Day 2, however, was not Chris Rogers’ valiant knock of 95, nor was it Moeen Ali’s breakthroughs – it was the moment when Alastair Cook got hit by a 140kmph James Anderson ball in his groin, and the reactions it elicited from the rest of the players.

After spending several minutes writhing on the ground, Cook appeared to shake off the blow, gingerly returning to his place at first slip.

Rogers administered most of Cook and England’s mental anguish, passing his seventh successive half-century to equal the all-time Test record sequence.

It was Anderson who struck, though, finding Haddin’s outside edge on the back foot and Jos Buttler taking a low catch to his right.

England’s stock was high then.

Tailender Stuart Broad had earlier contributed eventfully to a stand of 52 alongside Moeen (77), as England added 87 for their last three wickets in the first 80 minutes of a sunny day.

It took Brad Haddin 16 balls to get off the mark, achieved on the introduction of Stokes for Broad but in unconvincing fashion with a “pull” for four off an inside-edge which just missed off-stump and sped past the wicketkeeper.

There was no addition to the total of 362 when, in the next over, Moeen edged a full-length ball from Mitchell Starc behind yet was reprieved after Australia declined to appeal.

Bell and Adam Lyth responded, however, with England’s new spirit of adventure – and when the opener slog-swept Nathan Lyon for six, 50 runs had come from the first seven overs of the session.

Still, nothing was going right for Johnson – who ended up with his worst Test figures of nought for 111 and was rewarded with his share of “interaction” from the partisan crowd.