England’s veteran batter Joe Root said sometimes it’s good to win ugly after they registered a five-wicket win against Sri Lanka in the opening Test match at Old Trafford, Manchester on Saturday. The hosts chased down 205 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Root played an instrumental role in the win as he scored a gutsy knock of 62 runs off 128 balls. The Three Lions were 70-3 at one stage but Root was able to get his team over the line. Harry Brook and Jamie Smith also played crucial knocks of 32 and 39 runs respectively in the run-chase.

England was expected to dominate the opening Test in their home conditions despite the absence of Ben Stokes but they were made to work hard by the visitors, who showed great fight.

“Hopefully it’s a one-off thing but sometimes it’s good to win ugly. And we’ve still got a day [out of five] to go, so we’re still sticking by the principles that we want to live by, and we’re evolving as a team. The outfield is as long as I’ve seen for a long time in England, and the wicket itself obviously lost a lot of pace throughout. So it was quite hard to time the ball, and I didn’t really feel comfortable trying to muscle it,” Joe Root said while talking to Sky Sports.

On the other hand, Root also showered praise on Jamie Smith, who scored his maiden Test century in the first innings. The England wicket-keeper bat scored 111 runs off 148 balls to help his team take a crucial lead of 132 runs in the first innings.

“He’s a phenomenal player. 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,” Root added.

The second Test match between England and Sri Lanka will be played at Lord’s, starting August 29.