England reach 112-2 at lunch, trail Pakistan by 59 runs in first Test

WEB DESK: England reached 112 for two at lunch on Day Two of the first Test against Pakistan at Headingley on Thursday, trailing the hosts by 59 runs in their first innings.

England captain Joe Root was unbeaten on 37 off 53 deliveries, while Jordan Cox was 23 not out off 38 balls as the visitors recovered from two early wickets.

Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Ali dismissed openers Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay after Duckett scored 15 and Gay 33.

England now need 60 more runs to take the lead after Pakistan were bowled out for 171 on the opening day.

Harry Brook, Dan Lawrence, Jamie Smith, Ollie Robinson, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue are yet to bat for England.

England elected to field after winning the toss on Wednesday, and their seamers dominated the first day at Headingley.

Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue claimed five wickets each as Pakistan were dismissed for 171. Abdullah Shafique top-scored for Pakistan with 61, while Robinson struck with the first ball of the match to reduce the hosts to 6-2.

Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq then stabilised Pakistan’s innings with a 91-run partnership for the third wicket. Shafique reached his half-century off 104 balls before Robinson bowled him for 61.

Imam was also dismissed after the partnership, edging Tongue to the slips as Pakistan’s middle order struggled to build on the recovery.

Saud Shakeel was given out LBW but did not review the decision within the allotted time. Ball-tracking later showed the delivery would have gone on to hit the stumps.

Robinson claimed his fourth wicket before Tongue dismissed captain Salman Ali Agha. Tongue then trapped Ali Usman LBW with the next delivery to claim two wickets in two balls.

Pakistan reached 150 for seven by the tea break, with Mohammad Rizwan unbeaten on 11.

Their innings ended after the interval when Tongue trapped Rizwan LBW. Rizwan reviewed the decision immediately, but the on-field call stood after ball-tracking returned an umpire’s call.

Imam scored 42 off 74 balls, including six boundaries. Salman made 21 off 29 balls, while Rizwan scored 12. Khurram Shahzad added a quick 14 off 12 deliveries.

Play was interrupted for nearly two hours by rain before resuming, after which England’s seamers capitalised on the favourable conditions to complete Pakistan’s innings.

England will resume after lunch with Root and Cox looking to erase the deficit and establish a first-innings lead.