England bowled Pakistan out for 171 on the opening day of the first Test at Headingley, with Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue each claiming five-wicket hauls. In response, England reached 112 for two by stumps, trailing by 59 runs, with Joe Root unbeaten on 37 and Jordan Cox on 23 not out.
Robinson and Tongue Share All 10 Wickets
Robinson struck with the first ball of the series, trapping Azan Awais lbw from around the wicket, marking the first time a Test series in England has started with a wicket. He finished with figures of five for 51 from 18 overs, including a spell of eight overs, two for 17, in the afternoon. Tongue picked up four of his five wickets in the lower order, ending with five for 46. The pair became the first England duo to claim five wickets apiece in a Test innings since Steve Harmison and Monty Panesar at Old Trafford 20 years ago.
Pakistan were reduced to six for two in the fifth over after Shan Masood was plumb lbw to Robinson. Abdullah Shafique top-scored with 61, but was eventually dismissed by Robinson, who jagged one through the gate. Imam-ul-Haq, one of four Pakistan players to have played for Yorkshire, added 91 for the third wicket with Shafique but drove loosely to slip on 42 to hand Tongue his first wicket.
Root's Return to Captaincy
Joe Root, playing his 167th Test match, resumed the captaincy on a permanent basis after a one-off return earlier this summer ended in a defeat to New Zealand. Root won the toss and chose to bowl first, a decision backed by the fact that the last seven Tests at Headingley had been won by the side bowling first. The pitch offered movement for seamers who could lock in on the Headingley length.
Root's leadership was notable for his use of wicketkeeper Jamie Smith up at the stumps to create pressure on Shafique. Root scored 37 not out, adding 64 runs with Cox for the third wicket. Cox, in his first Test innings at No. 3, contributed a confident 23 not out. At times it was difficult to tell the two right-handers apart, which said plenty about how the rookie fared.
Pakistan's Response and England's Reply
Pakistan tried to muster a response, with Mohammad Abbas trapping Ben Duckett in front on 15, and Mohammad Ali squaring up Emilio Gay with a beauty that flew to slip to end a breezy 33 from 31 balls. However, that was as good as it got for Pakistan in the final session, which ran to 7.30pm due to an earlier downpour.
England's bowlers, including Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson, initially showed some rustiness, but Robinson and Tongue dominated. Tongue found himself on a hat-trick after a third lbw against Ali Usman, only for Khurram Shahzad, with a first-class average of 10, to lace it through the vacant covers for four. Tongue and Robinson then mopped up the last two wickets in successive balls.
Root's return to the captaincy full-time began as well as he could have wished for, with a first win in the job since 2021 already looking like the likeliest outcome.
