England have been ruthless against Pakistan in the ongoing Test series 2026, winning by an innings and 103 runs at Headingley, then by 194 runs at Lord’s, but their captain Joe Root isn’t willing to let people write off the visitors entirely.
Pakistan’s batting has been in freefall throughout the series, unable to even reach 200 in any of their four innings so far. The fallout from the Lord’s defeat was severe: the Pakistan Cricket Board sacked head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul, and dropped seven players from the squad altogether.
Speaking ahead of the deciding Test at Edgbaston, Joe Root pushed back firmly against the idea that Pakistan simply haven’t put up a fight. He said England have genuinely found Pakistan tough to play against, and argued that suggesting otherwise is unfair and disrespectful to both the sides. In his view, England’s own sharp cricket, reading pitches and match situations quickly, is why Pakistan haven’t been allowed to get a foothold in these games. He felt it was too simplistic to brand one team as brilliant and the other as poor, when the truth usually sits somewhere in between. According to him, if one side has been outstanding, it does not automatically mean the other has been bad, and he stressed the importance of recognising that nuance rather than assuming otherwise.
Joe Root also made clear that past results won’t count for much this week. He acknowledged that Edgbaston presents an entirely different challenge, pointing out that Pakistan still have a talented group of players in their ranks and said England will be fully prepared for whatever comes their way.
Adding to the intrigue, Pakistan will walk out at Edgbaston without senior stalwarts Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq, fielding a considerably more inexperienced line-up than before.
PCB acted in haste, didn’t it?
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