Joe Root has hit back at the idea Pakistan have showed "no fight" in their Test series against England and described the notion as "disrespectful" to both teams.
Root was speaking ahead of England's third Test against Pakistan, starting on Wednesday at Edgbaston, live on Your Site, with England leading 2-0 in the three-match series after dominating in both Tests.
Pakistan last week took the unprecedented step of sending seven players home and calling up seven after losing heavily at Headingley and Lord's.
Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and assistant Umar Gul have also been replaced, with Mike Hesson, in charge of Pakistan's white-ball sides, and former Australia seamer Ashley Noffke overseeing the third Test at Edgbaston.
Not only that, the Pakistan Cricket Board has launched an investigation into "media reports concerning discipline and conduct".
With so much disruption, Root was asked what it is like to take on a team that is offering "no fight".
For Root, that is "disrespectful" to both England and Pakistan, with the answer probably somewhere in the middle between one team playing well and one team playing poorly.
"Absolutely we have found [Pakistan] a challenge," Root said.
"I think that's a bit disrespectful to both Pakistan as a team and to us as a team. I don't think we've allowed them to get into games because of how well we've played as well and how quickly we've read the situations and the surfaces that we've had.
"I think it's very easy to say one team is excellent and one team is poor. Normally it's somewhere in the middle.
"If one team has been outstanding then the other team can't have been poor and vice versa. I think it's important to live in that middle area somewhere and understand that that's not how it is.
"Regardless of what's happened over the last two games, this week it's a completely different proposition for us.
"There's a very talented group of players in that dressing room and you've got to be ready for it, so we'll make sure that we are."
One question that will rage on following this series is whether Emilio Gay will continue as one of England's openers.
Gay has played five Tests across this summer, scoring two half-centuries along the way.
However, he is averaging around 23 with the returning Jacob Bethell and Jordan Cox touted as potential openers for the Test side.
Root says they remain hypotheticals and he is focused on this upcoming Test, but maintains it is important to put into context the runs that Gay has been scoring.
"I think Emilio has been brilliant in the conditions that we have had and I think it would be unfair to have any kind of discussions on anything outside of this game," he said.
"He has played some vital knocks and context is really important when you have low-scoring games and a low-scoring series.
"He has done really well in many respects in the hardest possible conditions."
On Monday, it was announced that Kevin Pietersen will be returning to the England set-up for the first time since 2014 as a specialist mentor to the white-ball teams in the build-up to next year's Cricket World Cup in Africa.
Pietersen will join head coach Brendon McCullum's white-ball set-up for the T20 international and ODI series' against Sri Lanka later this month, part of a coaching team that also includes Marcus Trescothick, Tim Southee, Jeetan Patel and Sarah Taylor.
Root flagged himself as the final England player still active to have featured alongside Pietersen and knows from his own experience as a youngster coming up what vital advice he can give.
"I am probably the last player to have played with him still going," Root said.
"I really enjoyed him as a senior player coming into the team. He was someone that I would be shadowing all the time.
"That first Tour of India in particular, I tried to buddy up with him in the nets, watch how he practised, watch how he did things, ask him for advice and he was really open, really honest, very helpful in terms of how to get the best out of my game against spin.
"If he can offer that kind of stuff in a coaching capacity as he did as a senior player then I think it's really going to benefit us as a group."
And asked whether Pietersen being a somewhat controversial character bothers him? Root adamantly explained that frankness is what is required at the highest level.
"I think you want people to give their honest opinion," he added.
"Why would you get him involved if you didn't want him to tell you what you think and to give his insight into the game.
"He is very knowledgeable, he has got a very good understanding of batting in particular and he's got a huge amount of energy.
"So, I think he's going to be great for the group and I'm really looking forward to getting him involved."
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