Joe Root said a new-look England pace quartet “don’t really understand how good they are” after helping him launch his second stint as full-time Test captain with an innings and 103-run rout of a lacklustre Pakistan at Headingley on Friday. England’s first Test without the two architects of their ultra-aggressive Bazball approach in former skipper Ben Stokes, now retired from all international cricket, and Brendon McCullum — sacked as red-ball coach following the recent series loss at home to New Zealand — was all over inside three days.
Joe Root said a new-look England pace quartet “don’t really understand how good they are” after helping him launch his second stint as full-time Test captain with an innings and 103-run rout of a lacklustre Pakistan at Headingley on Friday.
Sussex captain Robinson won player-of-the-match honours with 8-80 on his return to England duty. This was just England’s third win in 11 Tests, with interim coach Marcus Trescothick — himself an ex-England opening batsman — assisting Root before Stephen Fleming arrives to replace fellow former New Zealand captain McCullum as the team’s red-ball supremo.
“It’s not like we came here a month ago,” said Pakistan stand-in captain Salman Ali Agha. From the moment Ollie Robinson took a wicket with the very first ball of the match, England were on top in an utterly lopsided clash. But the vastly experienced Root was clearly excited by the potential of a pace quartet that had never played together for England before this match at his Yorkshire home ground. Nevertheless, Agha made it clear he would have no qualms should Pakistan captain Babar Azam — ruled out of the series opener after failing a fitness Test on a hand injury — return to lead the side at Lord’s.
