Joe Root glad of England's agility as he programs his "inner Ali."

Appreciate the Pope for leading the team that defeats Sri Lanka with the most time to win.

Joe Root joked that he'd been forced to channel his "inner]Nasser ] Syed" in challenging bowling problems at Emirates Old Trafford, after anchoring England's hard run-chase in the first Check against Sri Lanka with an unbroken 62 from 128 balloons.

Speaking to Hussain and Ian Ward on Sky Sports, shortly after England's five-wicket win on the fourth evening of the match, Root referenced Hussain's famously nuggety batting approach and career strike-rate of 40, adding that he was also now known as" Geoff" up in the England dressing-room, in reference to another English barnacle of yesteryear, Geoff Boycott.

Even though he hopes the group's more free-flowing Bazball attitude will re-emerge at Lord's and the Kia Oval in the last two games of the line, Root said he was proud of the agility he had demonstrated to seal England's fourth win in as many Tests this summer.

Not only did Root had to fight a passionate Sri Lanka bowling display led by Asitha Fernando and Prabath Jayasuriya, he noted that the acerbic Old Trafford wicket, with its extremely small bounce, was" as near to Sri Lankan conditions" as England tends to offer. In contrast, an unusually sluggish outfield, exacerbated by large immediately rain during the Test match, limited England's routine mission for boundaries.

" It was a tough one today", Root said. " It was a long, slow grind, but we got there in the end. The field is as long as I've seen for a long time in England, and the batsman itself clearly lost a lot of speed throughout. So it was quite hard to time the ball, and I did n't really feel comfortable trying to muscle it. It felt like that would bring the catcher in front of the wicket into the game, but just had to earn in a slightly different way".

Root enjoyed playing second fiddle to two of the latest England lineup's heavier hitters, 49 with Harry Brook and 64 with Jamie Smith, in a pivotal pitches built around two crucial goes.

" That's the beauty of partnerships", he said. " One like Brookie is generally going to score openly, he hits the ball great and strongly, and Jamie as effectively. He's evidently in great shape, and a healthy striker, so it's just good to pull off each other.

" Doubtless it's a one-off point, "he said of England's down-tuned approach", but sometimes it's nice to get dirty. And we've also got a day]out of five ] to proceed, but we're also sticking by the rules that we want to sit by, and we're evolving as a team."

Ollie Pope's captain triumph was renowned for its debut as a captain. Root praised Pope for putting his own mark on England's techniques in difficult circumstances, especially as Kamindu Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal batting for the sixth wicket through the third day in a 117-run stand, despite making precisely 6 in both innings.

" Obviously I offered a few bits here and there, but I did n't need to offer much," Root said, having himself captained England on 64 occasions between 2017 and 2022". He had complete control over what was happening.

" It was n't straightforward", Root added. You would have to deal with a number of different things, they said. It was n't your typically English kind of Test match, so hats off to him. He was very good at changing things up, trying different things, and constantly trying to move the game in the right direction. So again, it's another step in the way that we want to go as a team. And it's a really positive sign for us that we're going to do it a little differently this week and still manage to win.

Root also had praise for England's player of the match, Smith, who followed up his first-innings hundred with a vital 39 from 48 balls that prevented Sri Lanka from exerting any late pressure on a tail that was unusually long in Stokes ' absence.

" He's a phenomenal player", Root said. " His glovework's been exceptional, but his batting, I think you've seen everything you want from a No. 7. He can bat with the tail and take the game on aggressively. And then he's managed periods of play throughout this innings, and the first innings in particular, where he's been able to soak things up, knock it around, and then put his foot down when he needs to".

Smith scored a half-century on debut and had previously received the highest score of 95 at Edgbaston, but his maiden hundred came in his fourth Test.

" He is very laid back, and it's lovely to see guys coming in and it not really fazing them, or at least on the surface", Root said. " I'd like to say it's slightly part of the environment that we've created, which allows guys to come in and do that. But also a lot of credit has to go for him, for the way that he approaches the game, the way he looks at it, and how mature he is".