England captain Joe Root has rejected claims that Pakistan have shown “no fight” during the ongoing Test series. He called the suggestion “disrespectful” as England prepare for the third and final Test at Edgbaston.
England lead the three-match series 2-0 after convincing victories at Headingley and Lord’s. The hosts won the first Test by an innings and 103 runs before securing a 194-run victory in the second.
Root Rejects “No Fight” Claims
Speaking at his pre-match press conference in Edgbaston on Tuesday, Root was asked about facing a Pakistan side that had supposedly offered “no fight”.
Pakistan have yet to score 200 in four innings during the series. England’s revamped pace attack of Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson has caused major problems for the visitors.
Root, however, disagreed with the description of Pakistan’s performances.
“Absolutely we have found [Pakistan] a challenge,” Root said.
“I think that’s a bit disrespectful to both Pakistan as a team and to us as a team.”
England’s Strong Performances
Root explained that England’s dominance had also prevented Pakistan from settling into the matches.
“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,” he said.
The England captain also urged people to avoid simply labelling one team as excellent and the other as poor.
“I think it’s very easy to say one team is excellent and one team is poor. Normally it’s somewhere in the middle.”
Pakistan Still Pose a Threat
Root acknowledged that England have performed exceptionally well during the first two Tests. However, he stressed that Pakistan still have a talented group of players.
“If one team has been outstanding then the other team can’t have been poor and vice-versa,” Root said.
He believes England must remain focused despite already securing the series.
“Regardless of what’s happened over the last two games, this week it’s a completely different proposition for us.”
“There’s a very talented group of players in that dressing room and you’ve got to be ready for it, so we’ll make sure that we are.”
Pakistan Make Major Changes
Pakistan have also undergone significant changes ahead of the series finale.
Following the second Test, the Pakistan Cricket Board sent seven players home and removed Test coach Sarfaraz Ahmed from his position. White-ball coach Mike Hesson has taken charge of the red-ball team on an interim basis.
Pakistan also added seven players to the squad. Five of them are yet to make their Test debuts.
The final Test begins at Edgbaston on Wednesday, with England looking to complete a 3-0 series whitewash.
