Root's England steamroll Pakistan in three days to start captaincy with crushing win

Joe Root walked back into the England captain's office on a Friday afternoon at Headingley with the kind of welcome any leader would want: his team had just dismantled Pakistan by an innings and 103 runs in three days, a result so complete it barely qualified as a contest. This was Root's second turn at the helm, and it arrived after months of institutional turbulence—Ben Stokes had retired from Test cricket, Brendon McCullum had been sacked as coach, and England had won only three of their last eleven matches. The weight of that chaos made this particular victory feel like something more than just a cricket match.

England's seamers did the real talking. Ollie Robinson finished with eight wickets across both innings for a career-best haul of 80 runs conceded. Josh Tongue took three wickets in two overs after lunch on the final day and ended with eight for 89. Pakistan, arriving without their injured captain Babar Azam, simply could not handle the pace and movement. In their second innings, needing 238 runs to force England to bat again, they managed only 135. Jofra Archer removed Imam-ul-Haq from the eleventh delivery of the innings, and from that moment the outcome was never in doubt.

Root had won the toss and chosen to field. Robinson trapped Azan Awais lbw with the first ball of the match—a statement of intent that set the tone for everything that followed. England's batters had contributed their share: Harry Brook made 91, Jordan Cox 73 in only his second Test, and Root himself 66. The total of 409 gave England's bowlers a cushion they never needed to use. By lunch on Friday, Pakistan were already three wickets down, and it was clear the match would finish before the weekend arrived.

What made this victory feel hollow, though, was the quality of the opposition. Pakistan's batters, stripped of their captain and facing conditions that suited England's four-seamer attack, never competed. Their bowlers were wayward. Their fielding was loose. The atmosphere at Headingley, usually electric when Pakistan visited, was muted—no horns, no flags, barely any chanting in support of the tourists. This was a win, yes, but not the kind that tells you much about where England actually stands. The Stokes-McCullum regime, for all its flaws, would have enjoyed a victory this straightforward.

Root is now the record-holder for most Test wins as England captain. This was his 27th success from 66 matches. Four years after his first stint as captain left him, by his own admission, broken, he could not have asked for an easier reintroduction to the job. England lead the three-match series 1-0 and can secure their first series win since 2024 by winning at Lord's next week. Pakistan have not won a Test series in England in thirty years, and on this evidence, they will be fortunate to avoid a 3-0 whitewash.

There is one small variable that might change the complexion of things. Babar Azam, Pakistan's captain, missed this Test because of a hand injury. He could return at Lord's. Previous pace-bowling weapons like Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah are out of the Test picture entirely, so there is limited room for Pakistan to strengthen their squad. The pitch at Lord's could be different—less helpful to England's seamers, more of a leveller. Pakistan have a history of being unpredictable. But it would take a remarkable turnaround for them to recover from this and level the series. For now, Root and England have their win, their breathing room, and a chance to build something from the wreckage of the last few months.