Root urges England to keep celebrations sensible after Lord's win over Pakistan

Joe Root urged England to keep celebrations sensible after the side beat Pakistan at Lord's to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match Test series, securing their first multi-game series victory since 2024.

Root delivered the message following England's victory, saying the players should enjoy the achievement but avoid off-field controversies that have followed some recent celebrations. "It's important we're not talking about [off-field matters], absolutely," Root said. "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."

The series win provided a boost for Ben Stokes' side after a difficult period, and Root stressed the priority ought to remain on on-field performance rather than post-match behaviour. England's recent celebrations have occasionally been overshadowed by controversy, and Root was explicit that he wanted the focus on cricket rather than off-field matters.

The result was also welcome for Root personally after a challenging summer with the bat: he is averaging 29.44 after nine innings, well below his career Test average of 50.38, and has been dismissed lbw seven times, including twice in the Lord's Test. "I've always been quite good at understanding and eventually problem-solving," Root said. "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 defended England's batters after another testing outing at Lord's, calling the pitch "naughty" and pointing to the Dukes balls as an additional factor in the difficult conditions. He suggested the balls had different properties and were affecting both bats and surfaces: "I think they've been very different this year," Root said. "I think there's a different lacquer to them. I don't know, I've not got evidence on that - you probably need to ask Dukes - but I think there's lacquer on the seam. "As a batter, when you practise, they're cracking your bats more frequently. And they seem a lot firmer. "I think they're affecting the wickets as well. I think they're denting more. If they dent the wicket it's going to seam off the dents as well, it's going to move more. It's been challenging."

Root also pointed to weather and pitch movement as contributing factors to a testing summer for batters. "Sometimes you do come across summers where it's the perfect storm: you get overcast conditions, you get a bit of rain to contend with, the balls are slightly different," he said. "But that's part of the challenge of Test cricket, being able to adapt."

Pakistan pacer Mohammad Abbas said his side were disappointed with their overall performance but saw improvement from the first Test. "We were much better in this match than in the first Test," Abbas said. "You can see that as time passes we are getting used to the conditions and everything is getting better. "As a team, we aren't doing well. But we are working on that. The next match will be in Birmingham, and hopefully victory will come."

The three-match series now moves to Birmingham for the final Test, with England having secured the series and Pakistan aiming to respond in the concluding match.