England delivered a commanding performance to defeat Pakistan by an innings and 103 runs in the opening Test at Headingley on Saturday, marking a strong start for Joe Root in his second tenure as permanent captain.
This comprehensive victory came after the turmoil following England’s series loss to New Zealand eight weeks earlier, which saw Ben Stokes resign and coach Brendon McCullum step down from red-ball duties. England decisively moved past those setbacks with a dominant display against a lackluster Pakistan side.
Despite losing more than half a day’s play to rain, England wrapped up the match before tea on the third day. After adding 43 runs to their overnight total to reach 409, England secured a first innings lead of 238 runs. Their pace bowlers then dismantled the Pakistani batting lineup, restricting them to just 135 runs in 37.3 overs.
Josh Tongue, who had played in The Hundred final just three days prior, took 3-43, while Ollie Robinson claimed 3-29. Both bowlers recorded their best Test match figures, with Tongue finishing with 8-89 and Robinson 8-80 overall.
Pakistan’s innings began poorly, losing their first wicket without scoring when Imam-ul-Haq edged Jofra Archer to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith in the second over. The collapse continued swiftly as Azan Awais was caught at leg slip by Root, who had strategically positioned himself there. This catch was Root’s 219th in Test cricket, moving him ahead of Australia’s Steve Smith as the leading non-wicketkeeper catcher.
Root’s influence was evident throughout the innings. Saud Shakeel was caught by Dan Lawrence at backward square leg off Tongue, while Shan Masood’s 29 from 56 balls ended when he edged Tongue to Ben Duckett at slip, bringing Tongue to the brink of a hat-trick for the second time in the match.
Salman Ali Agha prevented the hat-trick but was soon trapped lbw in the same over. England’s dominance continued as Ali Usman nicked Robinson to wicketkeeper Smith, with the ball deflecting into Jamie Cox’s hands at slip. Cox then took another sharp catch off Robinson to dismiss Khurram Shahzad. Finally, Archer, who finished with 3-50, removed Mohammad Abbas to seal the victory.
Pakistan’s earlier shared series result in the West Indies now appears to have been misleading. The disparity between the two teams was stark, particularly in the effectiveness of their seam attacks, batting comfort in English conditions, and fielding agility.
Looking ahead, the second Test of the three-match series will begin at Lord’s on Thursday. Pakistan will be hoping to have captain Babar Azam available after recovering from a finger injury.
