England 112-2 at stumps as Headingley Test moves into Day 2 with Root unbeaten
England and Pakistan moved into Day 2 of the first Test at Headingley with England 112 for 2 at stumps, trailing Pakistan by 59, and Joe Root unbeaten on 37 as the hosts looked to tighten their grip on the match.
Pakistan were dismissed for 171 on Day 1, with Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue each claiming five-wicket hauls; Imam-ul-Haq made 42 and Abdullah Shafique 61 in a 91-run middle-order stand before the visitors collapsed. Root began his second stint as England captain following Ben Stokes’ retirement and, together with Jordan Cox, rebuilt England’s reply to finish the day with an unbeaten 64 partnership.
Ollie Robinson set the tone for England by taking the first wicket of the Test, trapping Azan Awais with the opening delivery, and then removing Shan Masood in his third over; Robinson finished with figures of 5-51. The seamer’s return to prominence follows his 7-77 at Lord’s in June in his first Test for two years, and his comeback had been disrupted previously by a knee injury and fitness concerns.
Josh Tongue complemented Robinson with 5-46 as Pakistan’s lower order folded, Tongue removing Salman Agha and then trapping Ali Usman with the final delivery before Tea to leave Pakistan 150 for 7 and himself on a hat-trick. Pakistan lost their last five wickets for 21 runs in 22 balls, a collapse that allowed England to regain control late in the day.
Pakistan had appeared to recover from an early 6-2 position through the 91-run partnership between Imam and Shafique, but once that stand was broken the visitors offered little resistance. Robinson and Tongue shared the late strikes that sent Pakistan to 171 all out, with England finishing the day holding eight wickets in hand.
England’s reply began positively as Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay scored quickly to 36 before Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Ali removed both openers; Gay was out for a fluent 33. Root and Jordan Cox then steadied the innings, finishing unbeaten on a 64-run partnership with Cox on 23 and Root on 37, cutting the deficit to 59 at stumps.
Rain reduced available playing time and an early lunch was taken after 9.4 overs during the new-ball period, but play resumed later with a busy afternoon that saw 12 wickets and 283 runs across the day. Stumps were called at 6.34 pm GMT.
Day 2 of the first Test will start at 10 am GMT, with Pakistan hoping overcast conditions bring early reward while England aim to build their advantage into a first-innings lead.
