Joe Root's strict warning for England mates post 2-0 Test series lead vs Pakistan; ‘celebrate it, but in a sensible way’

England captain Joe Root has warned his players to celebrate their unassailable 2-0 lead over Pakistan in the ongoing Test series to “in a sensible, grown-up way” after their Lord's victory on Sunday. Root's remarks came after off-field controversies rocked England cricket for most of 2026.

White-ball captain Harry Brook was involved in an altercation with a Wellington nightclub bouncer in 2025, while videos of England players appearing drunk on nights out despite their 1-4 thrashing by Australia in Ashes, went viral on social media.

In June, Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson broke the curfew and were involved in another drinking incident at a London bar, which forced the management to drop the dup from the second Test against New Zealand at home. Stokes, England's captain at that time, announced his retirement in the middle of the third Test against the Kiwis.

Recently, after the first Test against Pakistan, England pacer Brydon Carse was handcuffed after another drinking incident at a Derby nightclub, the video of which was circulated on social media. Stokes and Durham cricketer Matthew Potts were also seen in the video along with Carse.

As a result, Carse was dropped from the squad for the second Test, and was replaced by Sonny Baker. According to Root, the success on the field should not be followed by the off-field controversial incidents. that tarnish the image of England cricket.

“It’s important we’re not talking about, absolutely,” said the England skipper during the post-match presser 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," added Root.

What happened in England vs Pakistan 2nd Test?

Earlier, England recovered from a difficult start in the first innings after Pakistan reduced them to 77/4. Jordan Cox (55) and Jamie Smith (61) steadied the innings, while lower-order contributions from Gus Atkinson (45) and Josh Tongue (30 not out) helped England post 290.

Pakistan's bowlers Mohammed Abbas (4/73) and Mohammed Ali (3/86) impressed, but their batters struggled as they were bowled out for 110 in the first innings. Robinson claimed four wickets, while Archer and Tongue picked up three and two wickets respectively to give England a 180-run lead.

In the second innings, England rode on Dan Lawrence's 54 to be all out for 208, thus setting Pakistan a target of 389. Abbas claimed a five-wicket haul for Pakistan. In the chase, Pakistan were bowled out for 194 despite a 97-run stand between Shan Masood and Saud Shakeel.

Record alert for Joe Root

With this win, Root also became England's most successful captain against Asian teams in Tests. Root, who led England from 2017 to 2022 in his first stint, recorded 15 Test wins against Asian sides in 25 matches as captain, the most by an England skipper. He is followed by Andrew Strauss (14), Alastair Cook (12) and Nasser Hussain and Ben Stokes with seven wins each.

The defeat extended Pakistan's poor record in SENA countries, as they have now remained winless in their last 18 Tests in South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia since 2018. During this time, Pakistan lost 16 games and played two draws, with their last win coming at Lord's in May 2018.

Pakistan also lost a Test at Lord's for the first time since 2010 after winning at the venue in 2016 and 2018. Their last Test series victory in England came in 1996.

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