London: Despite losing the final Test match against Sri Lanka at The Oval, England’s cricket team remains confident in its overall performance this summer. Joe Root, one of England’s star batters, downplayed the loss, likening the team’s occasional setbacks to Coldplay not always topping the charts.

According to International Cricket Council, Root acknowledged that the team did not play its best cricket during the last match but emphasized that such fluctuations are part of the sport. “We are not always going to get it right all of the time,” Root explained to BBC Test Match Special, adding, “I don’t think we played our best cricket this week and that is going to happen from time to time. Coldplay can’t be number one every week.”

England’s defeat caused them to slip below Sri Lanka in the ICC World Test Championship standings. However, the team had a successful season overall, securing five wins out of six Test matches, including three against the West Indies and two against Sri Lanka. The loss in the final Test was marked by batting collapses, with England squandering a strong position of 261/3 to 325 all out in the first innings and struggling at 70/6 at one point in the second innings before Jamie Smith’s half-century contributed to a more respectable total.

Ollie Pope, the stand-in skipper, reflected on the batting issues, stating, “I wouldn’t say it’s a lack of an edge or not really having that desire to go and put together a massive score. It can just happen in cricket, and it’s been a good gap since we last did that.”

Looking ahead, England is scheduled to tour Pakistan in October. There are concerns over team captain Ben Stokes’ fitness following a hamstring injury. Despite these worries, Pope is optimistic about Stokes’ recovery. “He’s got a couple of weeks off now to refresh. I’ve chatted to him and he said it feels better today than when he first felt it. Fingers crossed he’s all good,” Pope said, hopeful of Stokes’ timely return for the series against Pakistan.