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England captain Joe Root has given teammates a fired-up pep talk after an unforgivable error from left-arm spinner Jack Leach proved incredibly costly.

It took 16 days of intense Ashes cricket but Joe Root finally hit breaking point at Old Trafford, firing up after an unforgivable no-ball from Jack Leach before Jofra Archer appeared to disagree with his captain's tactics.

Root could barely contain his rage on Thursday after celebrations of Smith's dismissal on 118 were halted by third umpire Ruchira Palliyaguruge.

Delight quickly turned to despair as Palliyaguruge reviewed replays, which revealed left-arm spinner Leach clearly overstepped before finding the edge.

As Smith trotted back to the crease, Root called his teammates into a tight huddle and unleashed an old-school captain's rev-up.

The 28-year-old read his side the riot act, urging them not to lose focus and let Smith and Tim Paine build an imposing total.

"We just said 'look we've got an opportunity now to crack on, there's nothing we can do about what's just happened and let's try to get him again'," keeper Jonny Bairstow said.

Smith scored 211 before falling to Root's part-time spin, underlining how costly Leach's mistake was.

Root is renowned for being among international cricket's most affable leaders, having been likened to a "little boy" by Ricky Ponting during the 2017-18 Ashes because he was "really quiet and too shy to say too much" after relinquishing the urn in Australia.

Another tense moment in the field, which captured the attention of commentator Mark Taylor, came when Root asked Archer to bowl around the wicket.

Archer's body language suggested he wasn't on board with the idea and the express paceman, who finished with figures of 0-97, soon returned to bowling over the wicket.

"I'm not sure the relationship between Joe Root and Archer is going well," Taylor said on the Nine Network

"To have that visible questioning (from Archer). That is not a good thing."

To cap off what was a terrible day for England, Ben Stokes trudged off the park after suffering a shoulder injury while delivering his 11th over.

Stokes returned to the field soon after but didn't bowl again.

"If it was very, very serious he wouldn't have retaken the field. We know what a character Ben is, how strong he is mentally and physically," Bairstow said.

There were calls for Root to step down as captain after England were skittled for 67 in their first innings of the third Test.

That criticism was silenced by Stokes' sensational knock but it will likely start up again, especially if England lose an Ashes series at home for the first time since 2001.

"You can't avoid them (critics). You hear them. It's everywhere," Root said prior to the fourth Test.

"What you choose to believe ... is the most important thing."