England captain Joe Root has defended the Pakistan national side against claims that they have lacked fight in the ongoing Test series.
With the third match currently underway at Edgbaston, England hold an unassailable 2-0 series lead after two thumping wins at Headingley and Lord’s.
Pakistan dramatically responded to the most recent of those defeats by sacking head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and his assistant Umar Gul as well as replacing no less than seven players.
The hosts, meanwhile, have announced a move of their own – bringing former star batter Kevin Pietersen back as a white-ball mentor ahead of the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in South Africa.
Root defends Pakistan Test performances
Asked if he thinks Pakistan have lacked ‘fight’ during their England tour so far, Root said on Sky Sports: “I think that’s a bit disrespectful to both Pakistan as a team and to us as a team.
“I don’t think we’ve allowed them to get into games because of how well we’ve played as well and how quickly we’ve read the situations and the surfaces that we’ve had.
“I think it’s very easy to say one team is excellent and one team is poor.
“Normally, it’s somewhere in the middle – if one team has been outstanding, then the other team can’t have been poor and vice versa.
“I think it’s important to live in that middle area somewhere and understand that that’s not how it is.”
Pietersen tipped to benefit England
On the impending addition of Pietersen to England’s backroom staff, Root added: “I am probably the last player to have played with him still going.
“I really enjoyed him as a senior player coming into the team – he was someone that I would be shadowing all the time.
“That first tour of India [in 2012], in particular, I tried to buddy up with him in the nets, watch how he practised, watch how he did things, ask him for advice.
“And he was really open, really honest, very helpful in terms of how to get the best out of my game against spin.
“If he can offer that kind of stuff in a coaching capacity as he did as a senior player, then I think it’s really going to benefit us as a group.”
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