Joe Root has urged his England teammates to celebrate their series victory over Pakistan in a “sensible, grown-up way” after securing a first multi-game Test series win since 2024. The 2-0 lead at Lord’s, with one match remaining, marks a significant achievement for the team, but Root is mindful of the off-field scandals that have marred recent celebrations.
Root’s call for measured celebrations
“It’s important we’re not talking about [off-field matters], absolutely,” Root said. “But it’s hard to win Test matches, it’s hard to win Test series, so enjoy it and celebrate it, but in a sensible, grown-up way. It’s been a really good start to, I don’t know what you want to call it, this new team.”
Root’s comments come after a difficult summer personally. In nine innings, he is averaging 29.44, compared with a career average of 50.38, and has been dismissed lbw seven times, including in both innings of this match. Despite this, he remains optimistic: “I’ve always been quite good at understanding and eventually problem-solving. I’ll continue to keep working hard. I might have been lbw a few times, but lots of those have been umpire’s call – if they go the other way it might not be as much of a talking point. We’ve also seen the ball move more than it ever has. So there has to be a sense of calm and realism around things. I know I’m a good player, and I’d like to think there’s a big score around the corner.”
Criticism of the ball and pitch
After another challenging match for batters at Lord’s, Root deflected criticism of the pitch, which he described as “naughty,” and instead focused on the balls, which he believes have been sapping players’ spirits and breaking their bats. “I think they’ve been very different this year,” he said. “I think there’s a different lacquer to them. I don’t know, I’ve not got evidence on that – you probably need to ask Dukes – but I think there’s lacquer on the seam. As a batter, when you practice, they’re cracking your bats more frequently. And they seem a lot firmer.”
Root also suggested the balls are affecting the wickets: “I think they’re denting more. If they dent the wicket it’s going to seam off the dents as well, it’s going to move more. It’s been challenging. Sometimes you do come across summers where it’s the perfect storm: you get overcast conditions, you get a bit of rain to contend with, the balls are slightly different. But that’s part of the challenge of Test cricket, being able to adapt.”
Pakistan’s perspective and looking ahead
Pakistan’s Mohammad Abbas conceded that “everybody’s not happy with this performance” but insisted the team was improving. “We were much better in this match [than in the first Test]. You can see that as time passes we are getting used to the conditions and everything is getting better,” he said. “As a team, we aren’t doing well. But we are working on that. The next match will be in Birmingham, and hopefully victory will come.”
The series continues with the final Test in Birmingham, where England will aim to complete a clean sweep, while Pakistan will seek their first win of the tour.
