Root's call for responsible celebrations

England captain Joe Root has urged his players to celebrate their Test series victory over Pakistan in a "sensible, grown-up way" after securing an unassailable 2-0 lead with a 194-run win at Lord's. The victory, England's first multi-match Test series win since 2024, prompted Root to stress the importance of keeping the focus on the team's on-field achievements.

"It's important we're not talking about [off-field matters], absolutely," Root said during the post-match media interaction at Lord's. "But it's hard to win Test matches, it's hard to win Test series, so enjoy it and celebrate it, but in a sensible, grown-up way. It's been a really good start to, I don't know what you want to call it, this new team."

Root's comments come after a period marked by off-field controversies involving England players. White-ball captain Harry Brook was involved in an altercation with a Wellington nightclub bouncer in 2025, and videos of England players appearing drunk on nights out during their 4-1 Ashes series defeat to Australia went viral on social media. In June, Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson broke a curfew and were involved in a drinking incident at a London bar, leading the management to drop them from the second Test against New Zealand. Stokes, England's captain at the time, announced his retirement during the third Test against the Kiwis.

More recently, after the first Test against Pakistan, England pacer Brydon Carse was handcuffed after a drinking incident at a Derby nightclub, with Stokes and Durham cricketer Matthew Potts also seen in the video. Carse was subsequently dropped from the squad for the second Test and replaced by Sonny Baker.

Match recap

England recovered from a difficult start in the first innings after being reduced to 77/4, with Jordan Cox (55) and Jamie Smith (61) steadying the innings. Lower-order contributions from Gus Atkinson (45) and Josh Tongue (30 not out) helped England post 290. Pakistan's bowlers Mohammad Abbas (4/73) and Mohammad Ali (3/86) impressed, but Pakistan were bowled out for 110 in their first innings, with England's bowlers sharing the wickets. England then declared or were bowled out for 208 in the second innings, with Dan Lawrence scoring 54, setting Pakistan a target of 389. Abbas claimed a five-wicket haul for Pakistan, but the chase fell short as Pakistan were bowled out for 194 despite a 97-run stand between Shan Masood and Saud Shakeel.

Pakistan pacer Mohammad Abbas said, "We were much better in this match than in the first Test," as the team's struggles in SENA countries continued. Pakistan have now gone 18 Tests without a win in South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia since 2018, with 16 losses and two draws. Their last win at Lord's came in May 2018, and they lost a Test at the venue for the first time since 2010, having won there in 2016 and 2018. Pakistan's last Test series victory in England came in 1996.

Root's personal milestone and batting woes

The series win also brought a personal milestone for Root, who became England's most successful captain against Asian teams in Tests, with 15 wins in 25 matches, surpassing Andrew Strauss (14), Alastair Cook (12), and Ben Stokes (7).

However, Root has endured an unusually difficult summer with the bat. He is averaging 44 across nine innings, well below his career average of 38, and has been dismissed lbw seven times, including twice in the Lord's Test. Despite this, Root remained confident, saying, "I've always been quite good at understanding and eventually problem-solving. I'll continue to keep working hard. I might have been lbw a few times, but lots of those have been umpire's call – if they go the other way it might not be as much of a talking point. We've also seen the ball move more than it ever has. So there has to be a sense of calm and realism around things. I know I'm a good player, and I'd like to think there's a big score around the corner."

Root also defended England's batters after another difficult outing at Lord's, describing the pitch as "naughty" and attributing the challenging conditions to the Dukes balls. "I think they've been very different this year," he said, noting a different lacquer and firmer ball, and added, "I think they're affecting the wickets as well."