Alastair Cook praised his side’s all-round effort as England came from behind to secure a thrilling 141-run win over Pakistan in the third Investec Test.
England were 103 in arrears after the first innings, but managed to set the tourists a mammoth 343 target and then bundle them out for just 201 in the evening session of Day Five.
And Cook was particularly impressed by the manner in which every member of his team contributed, as England went 2-1 up in the four-Test series.
“I thought that was a really good Test win," he said. "We had been behind for a lot of it and under pressure but we never caved. There were times when we could’ve crumbled, but we didn’t.
“To restrict Pakistan to 400 and then bat really well when under pressure [showed resolve]. The lead never seemed to be going very quickly but we made hay right at the end after putting lots of miles in Pakistan’s legs.
“Then we bowled well today on a pitch that which didn’t have a huge amount. Mo was excellent; Jimmy started it, him and Broady after lunch, and then Jimmy got a wicket as well, so a really good team performance. So no hundreds or five-fors but everyone can be very proud.
“A real team performance. Tough bowling on days two and three but we stayed to our task. Test cricket is not meant to be easy at certain times, and when it isn’t in your favour it’s not getting yourself out of the game.
“Not many sides are not winning from behind or haven’t done so in the past, so I thought that’s a really good sign for us."
England were in a tricky position after the morning session, with Pakistan managing to reach the first interval the day at 69-1.
Asked to explain how he got the response that would ultimately sway the Test in England’s favour, Cook said: “I asked the lads at lunch to keep pushing, put the ball in the right area and there’s still 62 overs to go and if we were in the dressing room, we were batting like that, we’d feel like we’d had a good morning session, but two wickets changes it very quickly.
“I thought the way Broady and Mo started [after the break], they didn’t go anywhere, Mo got a wicket, then we jumped in.
“We just had to make sure we did the right things to earn the right [to get those final wickets].
“Seeing Mo take the caught and bowled to finish the match was a bit of relief. It feels like a really good win for us because we’ve been behind. One of my favourite wins, certainly.”
England take a 2-1 series lead into the fourth Test at The Oval, which gets underway on Thursday morning.
England and Pakistan lock horns in Cardiff on Sunday September 4 for the finale of the Royal London One Day International Series. You can secure your seats for the match by clicking here.