England completed 1-0 Test series win over Pakistan recently and as per captain Joe Root, the team has shown the drive and will to become the best Test team thanks to the blend of youth and experience.
England had earlier beaten West Indies 2-1 and add their success in South Africa at the start of the year, it shows an upward trajectory with new players in the team.
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"To have won both series is a great achievement for the group. Young guys have continued to keep improving and show their worth within the squad, while we have also seen some special individual performances from senior players, who showed they can keep driving this team forward,” Root said.
Youngsters, Dom Sibley, Ollie Pope, and Zak Crawley have impressed the most in these two Tests series which signaled the return of international cricket after the COVID-19 forced break. Crawley recently slammed 267 against Pakistan, the tenth highest score by an Englishman ever.
Veteran pace bowler James Anderson reached 600 Test wickets, while 34-year-old Stuart Broad's 29 wickets in the two series at an average of 13.41 suggest he has plenty more to give.
Root believes that approach off the pitch, as well as expertise on it, will be a major aspect in how this team develops over the next few years.
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"The thing I'm excited about is the environment we have in the dressing room. The attitude of the guys about how they want to keep improving and learning about the game, even the senior players. I think that is what gives a great opportunity to get to that number one spot down the line,” the England captain said.
England now heads into the home limited-overs series with Pakistan and Australia with future Test assignments uncertain due to Coronavirus pandemic. "It’s going to be important that whenever it is we get the opportunity to play (Tests) again, we have some form of cricket before that. We just have to wait and see,” Root signed off.
(Reuters inputs)
