England ended day 1 of the first Test against Pakistan dominantly, with pacers Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue’s respective fifers leaving the visitors in tatters at Headingley.
Pakistan collapsed from 117-3 to 171 all out with England finishing the day on 112/2, trailing by just 59 runs.
The signs could not have been more encouraging for returning English captain Joe Root, who is back in the captain’s seat following Ben Stokes’ retirement. He was unbeaten on 37 with Jordan Cox (unbeaten on 23) for company. Root’s decision to field after winning the toss in overcast conditions paid of handsomely with Pakistan having no answers to the variations of the English pace pack.
Robinson got Azam Awais with a delivery that nipped back. He then trapped Shan Masood off his third over to leave Pakistan in a spot of bother at 6/2.
A two-hour rain delay then followed after which Pakistan staged a recovery of sorts with Imam-ul-Haq (42) and Abdullah Shafique (61) stitching a 91-run stand for the third wicket. However, the Robinson-Tongue show soon began and the Pakistan innings crumbled spectacularly thereafter.
These are particularly encouraging signs for Robinson, who spent some time on the sidelines after a knee injury. He missed an eventful Test series against New Zealand which England lost 1-2, that eventually saw both Stokes and former Test coach Brendon McCullum exit the red-ball system.
Pakistan was without Babar Azam, who missed the fixture due to a finger injury. The side would have felt his absence that much more seeing that it lost its last five wickets in the first innings for just 21 runs and in just 22 balls.
In response, England lost openers Ben Duckett (15) and Emilio Gay (33), but have a steady Root and Cox at the crease waiting to resume on day 2.
Published on Aug 20, 2026
