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Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue took five wickets apiece as Pakistan were dismissed for 171 on the opening day of the first Test at Headingley, their lowest first-innings total in a decade. Abdullah Shafique’s 61 was the only substantial resistance. England closed on 112 for 2, trailing by 59, with Joe Root unbeaten on 37.
Leeds, England: England won the toss, looked at the sky, and bowled. Within an hour it was obvious they had read it correctly.
The morning was heavy and grey, the sort of Headingley day that has undone touring sides for decades, and England’s seamers exploited it with precision. Rain cut the first session to just 9.4 overs, but two wickets had already fallen by the time the players left the field, Pakistan on 23 for 2. The interruption did nothing to change the pattern of the day.
Robinson Lights Up the Gloom
Ollie Robinson was the chief beneficiary of the conditions, finding movement both ways and a length that gave Pakistan’s top order no comfortable option. His 5 for 51 was the fifth five-wicket haul of his Test career, and it came from an unbroken exercise in accuracy rather than any single unplayable delivery.
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Abdullah Shafique alone looked capable of absorbing it. His 61 was watchful and, for a time, convincing, but the support around him was minimal. Pakistan’s innings never developed a partnership of consequence, and the middle order was steadily dismantled.
Tongue Finds the Ball That Ends It
Josh Tongue’s day was messier and, ultimately, more destructive. He sprayed the ball around for long stretches, but the one that mattered jagged back at 91mph and took out off stump — the sort of delivery no batter answers.
From there the tail offered nothing. Tongue took two wickets in two balls and finished with 5 for 46 as Pakistan folded for 171 in 48.1 overs, their lowest first-innings score in a Test in ten years. Two five-wicket hauls in the same innings, on a day that lost a session to weather, tells the story of how one-sided the bowling was.
The Margin That Went Against Pakistan
If there was a grievance for the tourists, it came in England’s reply. Mohammad Abbas trapped Ben Duckett in front, and ball-tracking showed the delivery striking a fair portion of the top of middle stump — not quite enough to overturn the on-field not-out. Abbas eventually accounted for Duckett anyway, but by then England’s openers had scored at better than four an over and Pakistan’s frustration had compounded.
Root Steadies, England Take Control
Emilio Gay’s 33 from 31 balls set the tempo before he was caught off Mohammad Ali, and England slipped to 48 for 2 inside ten overs. Joe Root and Jordan Cox then removed all remaining doubt about who owned the day, adding an unbroken 64 in 15 overs to reach stumps on 112 for 2.
Root was 37 not out at the close, Cox 23. Ali’s dismissal of Gay was Pakistan’s only success other than Abbas removing Duckett, and he finished the day with 1 for 38.
England trail by 59 with eight wickets standing. Pakistan retain all three reviews, England have two — and, more pressingly, a first session on Thursday morning that will decide whether this match remains a contest.
Stumps, Day 1: Pakistan 171 (48.1 ov) — Abdullah Shafique 61; Josh Tongue 5-46, Ollie Robinson 5-51
England 112/2 (25 ov) — Joe Root 37*, Jordan Cox 23*, Emilio Gay 33; Mohammad Ali 1-38
England trail by 59 runs
Venue: Headingley, Leeds
