Pakistan’s England tour could hardly have started on a worse note. They were thoroughly outplayed at Headingley, losing by an innings and 103 runs inside three days as Joe Root marked his return to permanent Test captaincy with a convincing England victory.
The defeat was even more significant given the uncertainty surrounding England’s red-ball setup. Ben Stokes had stepped away from Test cricket, while Brendon McCullum was removed from his red-ball coaching role following the series defeat to New Zealand. Root’s return as captain had therefore attracted considerable attention, but England responded with a dominant performance.
England vs Pakistan, 1st Test Day 3: Highlights | Scorecard
Pakistan had entered the series after sharing their Test series in the West Indies but failed to carry that momentum into Leeds. Their batters repeatedly struggled against England’s seam attack, while their fielding lacked the required sharpness. By the third morning, Pakistan were already facing a massive deficit.
England began the day with two wickets remaining and a 195-run advantage. They added another 43 runs to reach 409, extending their first-innings lead to 238 and leaving Pakistan with an enormous challenge.
ENGLAND SEAMERS TEAR THROUGH PAKISTAN
Pakistan’s second innings got off to another disastrous start when Imam-ul-Haq was dismissed for a duck, edging Jofra Archer to Jamie Smith in only the second over. It was the second time in the match that Pakistan had lost their opening wicket without scoring.
Azan Awais soon departed as well, caught at leg slip by Root after the England captain positioned himself intelligently. The dismissal was Root’s 219th catch in Test cricket, moving him past Australia’s Steve Smith for the most catches by a non-wicketkeeper.
Josh Tongue then struck again when Saud Shakeel clipped the ball towards backward square leg, where Dan Lawrence completed an excellent diving catch. Shan Masood managed 29 before edging Tongue to Ben Duckett at slip, leaving Tongue on a hat-trick for the second time in the match.
Salman Ali Agha survived the hat-trick delivery but was dismissed lbw later in the same over. Pakistan’s collapse continued when Ali Usman edged Ollie Robinson onto Jamie Smith’s leg, with the rebound carrying to Jamie Cox at slip. Cox then took another sharp catch off Robinson to remove Khurram Shahzad.
Mohammad Rizwan provided some resistance with a 41-run knock, but Pakistan were eventually dismissed for just 135 in 37.3 overs. Archer finished with 3/50, while Tongue and Robinson took three wickets each.
PAKISTAN’S BATTING COLLAPSE COMPLETES HEADINGLEY ROUT
The second-innings collapse followed Pakistan’s disappointing performance in their first innings, when they were bowled out for 171. Abdullah Shafique’s 61 was their only substantial contribution, while Tongue and Robinson claimed five wickets apiece.
England then took complete control with the bat. Harry Brook led the scoring with 91, Jordan Cox contributed 73, Root made 66 and Dan Lawrence scored 51. England eventually reached 409, with Ali Usman taking 5/92 for Pakistan.
England dominated in every department. Their seamers consistently extracted movement, their fielding remained sharp and Root’s captaincy repeatedly produced positive results. Tongue and Robinson ended the match with eight wickets apiece, both recording the best match figures of their careers.
Despite substantial playing time being lost to rain, England completed the victory before tea on the third day. The hosts needed only 1,053 balls to finish the match, highlighting just how one-sided the contest had been.
The second Test at Lord’s now provides Pakistan with an early opportunity to recover. The team will hope Babar Azam can return from his finger injury, but following such a comprehensive defeat, Pakistan will need a dramatic improvement to prevent England from gaining a firm grip on the three-Test series.
