Jonathan Agnew of England’s win over Pakistan at Emirates Old Trafford

It is perfectly valid for Joe Root to say that England believe they can win games in almost any situation.

The win in the first Test against Pakistan, when the odds were stacked deep in the final day, is another example of why Root and his team should think so.

It was a classic Test cricket day, with England digging a little deeper to beat a responsible Pakistani team but ultimately adding to their own downfall with some mistakes as the pressure built up.

However, Root also admitted that it was a far from perfect feat by England, which matters in itself.

It would have been easy for him to say that a win means everything is rosy in the garden, but it is actually a show of strength of character to admit that there are things England needs to look out for.

It is the character, the togetherness and the willingness to work hard that led England to such a memorable victory.

Take Chris Woakes, for example. Here’s a man with a dubious record against short fast bowling who hits the crease shortly after seeing Ollie Pope fall on a snort from Shaheen Afridi.

But a few hours later he scored the winning runs. Woakes very rarely gets the recognition he deserves, so I’m thrilled that he had his day in the sun.

Funnily enough, the start of the game on Saturday was yet another opportunity that highlighted how undervalued woakes can be.

He and Stuart Broad were England’s bowlers of the summer, and Woakes sacked Pakistan’s best players, Babar Azam and Azhar Ali, the night before.

England still opted for a partnership between Broad and Jofra Archer at the start of the game.

Woakes is never the one to complain and often seems to be the case type when changes are needed.

However, as Saturday showed, he’s an incredibly valuable asset to the English team and maybe now he’s made sure he won’t be the one who missed it again.

While Woakes is rarely in the limelight, his ally in England’s partnership, Jos Buttler, was scrutinized early on in the test for his wicketkeeping mistakes.

There had been pressure on his eyelashes too, although by the end of the West Indies series we had seen signs that they were slowly coming together.

His mistakes with the gloves, particularly the double reparation made by Shan Masood who made 156, are mistakes a test holder cannot go on.

Buttler himself admitted that and vowed to keep working on it. You couldn’t ask more of him.

However, if you compare Buttler’s glove to his counterpart on this series, Mohammad Rizwan, there is a clear gap in skills.

The selectors have an incredibly complex problem. It would be ruthless – and, if we’re honest, highly unlikely – if Buttler were left out with the bat after his post.

But England will know that another day they will not get away with such mistakes behind the stumps.

It could be that in the winter, when England will play Sri Lanka and India, Ben Foakes specialty will be needed behind the stumps and Buttler will have to earn his place through runs alone.

England are also facing issues around Archer and James Anderson, two bowlers at the other end of their testing careers.

Even after beating Pakistan, Root referred to Archer as a “90mph Fast Bowler” but that could be something England needs to rethink.

There’s no doubt that Archer is capable of some electrifying spells, but mostly his pace is in the mid-80s.

Archer is clearly very skilled, a modern bowler with all sorts of tricks, variety and slower balls. He also relies on the rhythm, and that often has him at a pace that we normally call fast-medium rather than fast.

It might be unfair to expect him to keep pushing the Speed ​​Gun above 90 mph. That’s not to say he shouldn’t be on the team because he has a lot to offer, but time will tell if he’s the pacemaker England has been looking for.

As for Anderson, England’s leading wicket taker hasn’t quite looked at himself and is clearly not happy with the way he bowls.

Before day four against Pakistan, he was on the outfield, playing a few steps to make sure his wrist was in the right place. That is a sign that things are not quite right.

Anderson is 38 and has spoken repeatedly of his desire to play as long as possible. This is admirable, but there must also be a worry that his body will eventually let him down.

As you look towards winter, you wonder if England really wants to take it through Sri Lanka and India. Next summer they’ll build a team for the ashes. By then he will be 39 years old.

Still, nobody would be stupid enough to write off an all-time great like James Anderson.

Jonathan Agnew spoke to BBC Sport’s Stephan Shemilt