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Root delivers perfect riposte to captaincy doubters as England hammer Pakistan
Pakistan 171 & 135 England 409: England win by an innings and 103 runs
There was no attempt to be a Ben Stokes tribute act by Joe Root, just a measured captaincy performance very much in his own undemonstrative style.
Root, ever the team man, pushed his bowlers forward to lead England off at the end, recognising the match-winners in a walkover against Pakistan, who were bowled out for 135 in under two sessions.
Victory by an innings and 103 runs inside three days marked a perfect return to the job and put the smile back on England faces for the first time in a long while. The chants of “F--- the ECB” from Trent Bridge, after the New Zealand regime-toppling loss, were replaced by the Yorkshire faithful’s “Roooot”.
There was plenty of scepticism around rebooting the Root captaincy, but he was the only realistic choice. Harry Brook’s batting here was more sensible and at a tempo in the captain’s mould. “He is still learning the art of Test cricket,” Root said. Thrusting Brook into the job would have put more pressure on him, he may well have felt he needed to make risky statements with the bat. Now he can mature under Root and Stephen Fleming.
Tactically, Root was astute and showed enough to suggest he is going to be different this time. The old Root would not have whipped Jofra Archer off after two overs of the Test, but it was a prod that worked as he bowled quicker and more accurately to strike twice with the second-innings new ball, using his new-found skills with a scrambled seam to good effect.
It also showed his bowlers he wanted a fuller length and, from that first hour, they controlled the match and did not let their grip slip.
Root promised to keep the good aspects of Bazball and apply common sense. He continued Stokes’s leg-slip tactic and it paid off with the wicket of opener Azan Awais, and urged Ollie Robinson to bowl with the keeper standing up. England batted at 4.5 an over – a touch quicker than the Bazball years – but it was never reckless, just a calm tempo, with no ramps or scoops.
Whereas Stokes could be showy in the field, there was no funkiness or snap declaration. To be fair, there was no need. Pakistan were so poor that England only had to apply the basics for long enough to win. It is hard to draw any significant conclusions when England take a wicket every four and a bit overs, as Pakistan proved Scyld Berry’s view that this team is their worst for 50 years.
There were positives everywhere. The bowlers combined as an attack, relentlessly probing with the wobble seam and there were no weak links. Jordan Cox made an encouraging start at No 3 as much for his mature presence as well as 73 runs, while Brook batted within himself for once to make 91. Emilio Gay will need a score to stay in the side, but Cox’s emergence, with Jacob Bethell to come back, hands England top-order options for once.
England batted with more precision and care in this Test than against New Zealand and insiders say Fleming is already making his presence felt from across the other side of the world. He is in daily contact with Root, working on their vision for the team. Mike Hussey is expected to join as batting coach, adding heft to the backroom and knowledge of the Australian side for the Ashes. England already look a more serious outfit.
Robinson was superb from his wicket-taking first ball of the Test, finishing with eight for 80 in the match and has 15 in two games since his return. He exposed the folly in not picking him at Trent Bridge. Archer was quick and hostile, and could be let off the leash with runs in the bank and bowlers at the other end keeping it tight. Gus Atkinson will bowl worse in the future and take more wickets than his one for 11 from eight overs, but he was accurate and deserved more. Josh Tongue’s potent wicket-taking ability returned, mopping up the tail in the first innings and making crucial breakthroughs in the second for a match haul of eight for 89. He had a quiet series against New Zealand, but winning the Hundred appears to have refreshed him.
Archer and Tongue’s pace and the wiles and accuracy of Robinson and Atkinson is a potent combination. “They don’t know how good they are just yet,” Root said. “But the more they perform like that they will very quickly realise and prove to themselves what they can do at this level,” Root said. They are emerging from the shadows of Anderson, Broad, Woakes and Stokes.
After a little fun from Archer with the bat in the first half hour, England were bowled out for 409, a 238-run lead and a three-day finish a real prospect.
Archer’s pace was too hot for Imam-ul-Haq; a short ball aimed at the body was gloved to Jamie Smith for nought. Root stationed a leg slip for Azan Awais to encourage Archer to bowl straighter and five balls later he popped a catch straight down his throat.
Robinson tested Abdullah Shafique with a full length outside off and he nicked to slip. Root had another slap on the back when he moved Dan Lawrence to an unorthodox deepish square leg because he could see Saud Shakeel was falling over to the off side and vulnerable to one on his legs. He clipped Tongue straight to Lawrence.
When Shan Masood edged to first slip after lunch, day-four tickets were redundant. Tongue was on a hat-trick for the second time in the match but failed to convert. It did not matter. Three balls later he thumped one into Salman Ali Agha’s pads. It looked high, but he was stuck on the crease and ball-tracking returned three red lights.
Robinson tucked into the tail with two in two overs and Atkinson had his deserved wicket when he bowled Mohammad Rizwan having a slog. Archer finished it off and Root double-fist pumped at the winning moment, a feeling he thought had gone for ever. This was his first Test win as captain since Headingley 2021, and only Robinson survives from that match. You would have got decent odds a few weeks ago on those two being captain and match-winner in a Headingley Test again.
[Source: Daily Telegraph]
