Tongue credits 'brave' lengths as England bowl Pakistan out for 171 at Headingley
On Day 1 of the first Test at Headingley, England bowled Pakistan out for 171 and reached 112/2 at stumps, with Josh Tongue taking 5/53. Tongue said being brave with their lengths was central to England's bowling display.
England won the toss and elected to bowl in overcast conditions, with Ollie Robinson striking with the first ball and then removing Shan Masood soon after. Tongue pointed to the movement on offer and the need to target the stumps, saying: "Obviously it was nipping quite a bit this morning. Even with some of the balls they played and missed, it was going quite a lot. So I think it was just being brave with your length. I think that was quite crucial on this wicket, and trying to keep the stumps in his play as much. I think the balls and LBW is going to be quite crucial towards the back end of this game." Tongue made that comment to broadcasters.
Pakistan lost early wickets before Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq compiled a 91-run stand for the third wicket. That partnership ended when Imam fell for 48, and Robinson then removed Shafique for 47 as England regained control.
Robinson, on his return, finished with 5/42, his fifth Test five-wicket haul, and his first-ball dismissal of Azan Awais set the tone for the innings. Shan Masood’s wicket in Robinson’s third over left Pakistan 14/2, and rain briefly halted play, bringing an early lunch and a short reprieve for the visitors.
After the break Shafique and Imam used the conditions to their advantage for a period, but Tongue eventually found Imam’s edge to break the partnership. Saud Shakeel’s dismissal compounded Pakistan’s problems; he was given out lbw to Robinson but waited too long to review, with ball-tracking later showing the delivery would have missed leg stump.
Tongue found greater consistency as the innings progressed and produced a delivery that jagged back sharply at around 91mph to hit the stumps. Pakistan lost their last eight wickets for 74 runs and were bowled out for 171, their lowest first-innings Test total in a decade; Tongue finished with his fourth Test five-wicket haul and Robinson’s 5/42 meant England registered two five-wicket hauls in the same innings. On his preparation, Tongue said: "Yeah, body's all good. It's obviously a very quick turnaround. But it's been quite nice to have Gus in the same dressing room as me. We were making sure our bowling loads were high enough leading into this Test match and getting the extra work done. So yeah, all good."
In England’s reply Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay fell, but Joe Root and Jordan Cox steadied the innings and the hosts closed the day on 112/2, 59 runs behind Pakistan’s first-innings total. England will resume play aiming to convert that position into a substantial first-innings lead when play continues, with the pitch expected to remain helpful to the bowlers.
