Root hails England’s spirit after Test victory
England captain Joe Root hailed his side’s unbreakable spirit, forged in last year’s nerve-jangling World Cup triumph, following victory over Pakistan.
Jos Buttler scored a brilliant counter-attacking 75 in a match-winning stand of 139 with Chris Woakes, who went on to finish the job at Emirates Old Trafford with 84 not out.
Together they helped England back from the brink at 117-5 to reel in a three-wicket win chasing 277.
“It was a fantastic Test match all round, I couldn’t be more proud of the lads,” Root told Sky Sports.
“The way we approached the day was fantastic, and that partnership was brilliant, the way they went about it and the way they constructed it.
“After last summer it’s very hard to stop believing, we know that anything’s possible.
“One thing you cannot doubt of our dressing room is the character. We never give up. The boys believed and delivered, and we’re one-nil up.”
England finally ended a bizarre run of losing the first Test in their last five series, leaving Root delighted with two more clashes against Pakistan to come.
Asked if it would be impactful to get that monkey off their backs, Root said: “Of course it is, but the most important thing is we back it up again now. We’ve got to keep learning.
“But I couldn’t be more proud of the guys and the clarity with which they played.”
On Buttler, who shook off his wicketkeeping woes to produce a match-turning score, Root said: “It shows the mental strength of him, to manage that situation as well as he did. I thought it was a brilliant innings.”