Root's calm return as England captain steadies side at Headingley
Joe Root returned as England captain and led his side to dismiss Pakistan for 171 on day one of the opening Test at Headingley. He won the toss and watched Ollie Robinson take a wicket with the game's first ball.
When Root left the field for the first time in his second spell as skipper he did so with Harry Brook's arm over his shoulder; both are Yorkshiremen and the two England batters who had been the only candidates when England needed to replace Ben Stokes. Brook might have appeared scorned after being overlooked and Root could have been keen to assert authority, yet the pair dovetailed throughout the day as England sought to recover from previous turmoils.
Brook's influence was visible early when he suggested a reinforced gully as Shan Masood poked and Root agreed, while Jofra Archer was removed from the attack after two wayward overs with the new ball. Root positioned himself at mid-off rather than in the slips—he has taken more than two thirds of his joint-record 218 Test catches—to be closer to his bowlers and ensure the ball was returned via their captain, with his two young children watching on. "I might not be as dynamic as Ben but we'll see if we can make it work," Root said on Tuesday. "One of the big challenges is not trying to be Ben Stokes," was another of Root's pre-match comments.
Root's pace options included Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue; the quartet was described in the coverage as exciting but still raw. Robinson was largely left to make his own calls: he is captain at Sussex and was the next oldest member of the squad after Root at 32, and he produced an average pace of 78.4mph here. Previously discarded under Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, Robinson made his debut under Root in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's in 2021 and was last man out in Hobart at the end of Root's second Ashes defeat in 2021-22, both losses coming in the run of one win in 17 Tests at the end of Root's tenure.
Robinson pinned Azan Awais with his first ball, probed Masood's outside edge from round the wicket, then switched his angle before an inswinger had Masood plumb lbw. Root celebrated the wicket with both arms raised. "He was good at just telling me he was moving the field and then to carry on bowling the same way," Robinson said. "Between the four bowlers, Joe and Harry we were discussing plans, discussing what was working. Brooky is always great on the field. He is the go-between guy and, standing at slip, can see different things."
Robinson finished with an immaculate 5-51 here as Tongue and Atkinson took time to locate their rhythm and Archer never found his. The seam bowling performance provided the breakthrough England needed after a long period without success during the afternoon.
Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique compiled a 91-run partnership in the afternoon, during which England went 23.2 overs without a breakthrough and the crowd became distracted. Root was called to bat inside 10 overs before stumps and was aided when Imam's loose drive to Tongue on 42 opened the door; Root largely kept the fields restrained, allowing Tongue three slips and two leg slips for his hat-trick ball after tea but otherwise persisting with three slips while contrasting with the more expansive slip usage seen under Stokes. Root joked on Tuesday his "natural persona" may be suited to bringing a sense of calm to one of English cricket's most chaotic summers.
England finished day one in control of the opening Test against Pakistan at Headingley. Robinson and Tongue provided an ideal start to Root's new era as captain.
