Joe Root hailed his “outstanding” England team as they overpowered Pakistan at Lord’s to secure a 194-run victory which put them 2-0 up in the three-Test series with one match to go.
Root’s rejuvenated team followed up their Headingley heroics, where they won by an innings and 103 runs, with a Lord’s lashing of the Pakistan team, who were skittled for 110 and 194.
England posted 290 in their first innings after being 80-4 at one stage and set a total of 389 to win after a second-innings score of 208.
Visitors bowled over by hosts
Pakistan did display some fight on the fourth day at Lord’s, with Saud Shakeel (97) hitting 13 fours and two sixes.
However, England’s four-man pace attack of Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson once again proved too hot to handle for the visitors’ batting line-up.
Robinson (4-14), Tongue (3-46) and Archer (2-73) bowled with accuracy and aggression, and Root hailed his team’s all-round display after digging deep with the bat in the first innings.
The England skipper said on Sky Sports: “I think the guys have shown great adaptability.
“We’ve overcome some difficult situations when we were at 80-4 to get the total that we did.
“We showed great maturity and an element of problem-solving. It doesn’t always have to be the top order that gets you runs.
“I thought the way the guys played towards the back end was excellent. If our tailenders can eke out 50 to 80 runs, that can be the difference in a Test match.
“I think the way we went about it with the bat, in very tough conditions, has been outstanding.”
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Moving in the right direction
Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas took an impressive five-wicket haul as England were bowled out for 208 runs on Sunday.
But England’s pace attack did the damage to seal a series win – and Root feels they can continue to improve as a bowling unit.
He added: “This is a group of players that’s going to be around this team for a long period of time and has a real opportunity to influence and shape it, both on and off the field.
“The two performances we’ve put forward have been a really good step in the right direction.
“We now have the chance to go and do that again at Edgbaston in whatever conditions we find ourselves in and then we’ll move forward again to the next challenge when we go to South Africa.
“The more we can play together and the more we understand how we’re going to operate in different conditions, the more we’ll grow and the better we’ll be for it.
“That’s both for me as a captain and for them, learning and developing as Test players.
“The challenge will be a new set of conditions to handle. Can we be good enough or skilful enough to find the answers again?”
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England seamers creating a legacy
“The most exciting thing about these guys is they have the opportunity to create their own legacy,” Root concluded.
“They’re all of an age where they can play together for a long period of time, and I think they’ve all got skill sets that travel around the world in different conditions.
“It’s all there for them if they keep working hard and performing in the manner that they are now.
“Then there’s no reason why they can’t write their own little chapter in English fast bowling history.”
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Juliette White