England head into the third Test at Edgbaston starting Wednesday with an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series after dominant victories at Headingley and Lord’s. The Pakistan Cricket Board has taken unprecedented action in response, sending seven players home and calling up seven others after the heavy defeats. Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and assistant Umar Gul have been replaced, with Mike Hesson, who oversees Pakistan’s white-ball sides, and former Australia seamer Ashley Noffke overseeing the third Test at Edgbaston. The PCB has also launched an investigation into media reports concerning discipline and conduct.
During his pre-match press conference at Edgbaston on Tuesday, Joe Root was asked what it was like to face opponents offering no fight. Root, in his second spell as full-time England skipper following Ben Stokes’ shock international retirement, rejected the characterisation directly. Root responded with a clear defence of Pakistan’s efforts in the series
Root emphasised that the outcome of the first two Tests reflected England’s performance rather than Pakistan’s lack of commitment. He suggested that attributing the series position to one team playing poorly oversimplified the reality of Test cricket. Root explained his view on how such outcomes typically develop in competitive matches.
“Absolutely we have found [Pakistan] a challenge. 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,” said Root in the pre-match press conference.
“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. 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,” he added.
Root welcomes Pietersen’s England white-ball mentor role
One question that will emerge from this series concerns whether Emilio Gay will continue as one of England’s openers. Gay has played five Tests across this summer, scoring two half-centuries. However, he is averaging around 23, with Jacob Bethell and Jordan Cox among those being considered as potential opening options for the Test side.
“I think Emilio has been brilliant in the conditions that we have had and I think it would be unfair to have any kind of discussions on anything outside of this game. He has played some vital knocks and context is really important when you have low-scoring games and a low-scoring series. He has done really well in many respects in the hardest possible conditions,” said Root.
