Joe Root has hailed the mental strength of his England side after they sealed a dramatic victory over Pakistan in the first Test at Old Trafford.
England looked all but beaten when they stumbled to 5-117-5 in their pursuit of a 277-run target but captain Root felt confident about his team's battling qualities.
"We knew it would take something special but after last (northern) summer it is very hard to stop believing. It's a real strong trait of ours," he said.
Almost a year on from Ben Stokes' heroic batting display to stun Australia in the 2019 Ashes at Headingley, Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes combined to deliver a counter-attacking display in a 139-run sixth-wicket stand.
Buttler (75) was trapped leg-before with 21 runs still required and the second new ball due, but Woakes (84) stuck it out, edging the winning boundary down to third man to seal a famous victory.
"It was a brilliant chase. I couldn't be more proud of the lads," Root said.
"Jos, it shows the mental strength, to play that situation and manage different passages of it, calculating risks, manipulating the spinner, brilliant innings, and Chris was magnificent too.
"The more important thing is we back it up again, and keep learning, but the clarity with which they played shows the maturity of the group too."
With England losing four quick wickets after lunch, Woakes and Buttler had no choice but to reel in the target in one-day mode.
"It was good idea to take them on and put them under pressure," Woakes said.
"Jos is one of the best white-ball players in the world - one of best run-chasers - and he showed why today."
It later emerged that Buttler's father had been admitted to hospital on Friday after recent health scares.
"I feel like I owed the team," Buttler said.
"I was very aware that the chances I missed at wicketkeeper were the reason we were chasing as many as we were.
"You sit there thinking 'perhaps I've cost the team the game'. It's a feeling of relief more than enjoyment at the minute.
"There's been some lonely nights thinking about it. As the wicketkeeper in this team you have to take chances and you have to keep better than I did in the first innings - I know that, I don't need other people to tell me.
"I expect a lot of myself and to play international cricket there's a level required. And I have to be better - that's a stone-cold fact, there's no point trying to hide that. If I take those chances we might have won two hours earlier."
Australian Associated Press
