Robinson strikes early as England and Pakistan begin 1st Test at Headingley
England and Pakistan met in the first Test at Headingley on August 19, 2026, and Ollie Robinson removed Azan Awais LBW early in Pakistan’s innings. The dismissal followed a defensive start from Shan Masood at the other end.
Dinesh Karthik described the surface as a hybrid pitch with a covering of brown grass, calling it nice and hard and saying he expected a lot of runs, while Michael Atherton said the outfield would be fast and urged viewers to watch the overhead conditions. Atherton added that the last seven Test matches at the venue have been won by the team batting first. Pre-match formalities were completed and the national anthems were played in the order of Pakistan followed by England.
Pakistan named Azan Awais and Imam-ul-Haq as their openers in a XI of Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Salman Agha (C), Ali Usman, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali and Mohammad Abbas. England selected Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jordan Cox, Joe Root (C), Harry Brook, Dan Lawrence, Jamie Smith (WK), Ollie Robinson, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue in their playing XI.
Pakistan captain Salman Agha said he was aiming to end Pakistan’s series drought in England and that he had wanted to bat first to set up a strong performance. He confirmed a balanced lineup featuring seven proper batters and four primary bowlers — three seamers and one specialist spinner — and stated he would be ready to bowl if required.
Joe Root returned as full-time Test captain and won the coin flip on his comeback; England elected to bowl first. Root said they would bowl to exploit early moisture and the overhead conditions, that they would stick to a positive playing style and adapt to match situations, and that Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Ben Duckett would be key; he also noted England had four seamers in the side.
Root’s resumption of captaincy comes three years after he stepped down from the role and arrives amid changes to England’s setup following the retirement of Ben Stokes and the departure of Brendon McCullum. Marcus Trescothick is in interim charge until Stephen Fleming takes over as head coach later this year.
England begin the Pakistan series seeking improved results after their last multi-Test series victory against New Zealand in November-December 2024; since then they drew 2-2 with India last summer, lost the Ashes 4-1 in Australia and were beaten 2-1 by New Zealand at home earlier this year. The Pakistan series therefore begins with England trying to turn the page.