Joe Root heaped praise on the new-look England pace quartet after it helped him begin his second stint as Test captain with a dominating win over Pakistan in the first Test at Headingley on Friday.
England bundled out Pakistan for 135 in the second innings after dismissing the visiting side for 171 in the first to win the Test by an innings and 103 runs.
Ollie Robinson led England’s charge and finished the match with haul of 8/80, including a five-for in the first innings shared with Josh Tongue, who too ended the game with eight wickets.
With Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson also in the mix, Root has a variety of options to work with.
“I don’t think they really understand how good they are, how well they complement each other and what they are capable of doing in these conditions,” Root said.
“Clearly we will have different challenges and surfaces to manage, but it’s a brilliant start to things.”
Root is yet meet the newly made Test coach, Stephen Fleming, and is joined with interim coach, Marcus Trescothick for this three-match series.
However, Rood said Fleming had kept a close eye on proceedings in Leeds.
“We spoke every day. He’s kept tabs on things. It’s been great to have him on the end of the phone,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan stand-in captain Salman Ali Agha said that his side hadn’t adjusted to the conditions having only arrived a week before the Test from the Caribbean.
“It’s not like we came here a month ago. We came here a week ago. And I don’t think a week is enough to get used to these conditions,” Agha said.
He admitted that the players were inexperienced but showed belief in the future of the squad.
“It’s an inexperienced side but it’s not about worrying about the future, it’s about making a future.”
Agha had to lead the group after Babar Azam wasn’t deemed fit to play for the match. “I’m more than happy to hand back the captaincy. Hopefully he (Azam) is fine,” he said.
Published on Aug 22, 2026
