Hussain: Not trying to emulate Stokes - Root was just Root

Nasser Hussain praised Joe Root’s “maturity” after England’s win over Pakistan at Headingley; Stuart Broad hailed Josh Tongue as “England’s best bowler”; watch the second Test at Lord’s live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10am Thursday.

Nasser Hussain praised Joe Root’s poised return to the captaincy after England secured a thumping three-day victory over Pakistan by an innings and 103 runs in the first Test at Headingley.

The skipper oversaw a dominant all-round performance, with Josh Tongue (8-89) and Ollie Robinson (8-80) leading the way with the ball, while vice-captain Harry Brook (91), Jordan Cox (73) and Root himself (66) helped England to 409 in their only innings.

Hussain recognised the difference in approach to his last spell as captain between 2017 and 2022, praising a reinvigorated Root's return to the helm:

"The biggest thing [about this Test match] was Joe Root," Hussain said on Sky Sports Cricket.

"He said to Michael Atherton in an interview: 'judge me not on how I was last time, but how I am now.'

"If you'd just come down and seen Joe this week, these three days, albeit against a poor Pakistan side, you'll say he had a really good three days as captain.

"The decision with the balance of the side [worked out], electing not to having a frontline spinner. I know some of that was enforced because of no Stokes - and we'll come on to that - but it was also the toss decision, and then the way he batted, and then the way he captained in the field.

"It was never I'm trying to be Ben Stokes. It was just Joe Root being Joe. He had a smile on his face.

"Compare that to [the second Test against New Zealand] at The Oval, where he was handed a hospital pass [by being made interim captain]. He looked a bit dishevelled by the end of that, to be honest, and he didn't have his best game as captain there.

Hussain also recognised a difference in approach from Root's predecessor, Stokes, who had been criticised for a lack of attention to detail, saying England displayed a new "maturity" alongside vice-captain Brook in their dominant victory.

"I thought there was a maturity about their performance here on and off the field as well. Just listening to Harry Brook and the interview he gave me this morning, you just sensed some more mature answers - saying 'we have had a look at ourselves'.

"It's not [the Bazball attitude] of 'this is the only way we play and you lot don't like it - We don't care.'

"It was realising that there are a lot of good bits [to McCullum and Stokes], as Joe said to Michael Atherton, to take forward.