Root realistic despite huge Test triumph

JOE Root was thrilled by England’s response to adversity at Headingley but has warned their innings win over Pakistan must not be allowed to “paper over the cracks”.

The England captain had reason for cheer at last with victory by an innings and 55 runs well inside three days of the second NatWest Test.

Jos Buttler’s unbeaten 80, his second successive Test half-century, helped England to 363 all out.

Then after James Anderson took two early wickets, Dom Bess and Stuart Broad added three more each – the latter answering his critics with match figures of six for 66 – as the tourists were bowled out for 134.

England rescued a 1-1 series draw by ending a run of six defeats in eight Tests, which had put coach Trevor Bayliss under pressure after they did so badly at Lord’s. But Root was wary of getting carried away with one overdue win.

“It’s very important we don’t paper over the cracks and think this is going to be us (sorted) forever,” he said.

“We have to make sure we don’t find ourselves in those positions like last week.

“I’m thrilled to bits. (But) we know we’re not the finished article - this is the first step towards our goal.”

England answered the rallying call issued by Root before his home Test.

“I asked the guys to play with pride and you saw that on the field,” he said, admitting that pre-match criticism from pundits – like Michael Vaughan’s for Broad – might have played its part too.

“I think an element of that comes out through criticism.

“You want to prove people wrong, and you have to have that within you to play at this level. We had to show a lot of character. I asked a lot of things of them, and everything I asked was delivered.

“Ultimately, you can’t ask for more as a captain.”

For him personally, a year into his tenure, the win was needed urgently. England emerged from their long, winless winter vowing to push themselves harder than ever.

It did not work at Lord’s – but Root said: “We’ve set our stall out for a long time about where we want to get to, and we’ve decided we want to go about things differently. We have to give that a chance to work.”