Pakistan’s seam attack proved decisive on a damp, overcast afternoon at Lord’s, leaving England reeling to 248 for 9 at the close of day one in the second Test. The match began under a blanket of rain that delayed the start until 12:20 pm on Thursday, and the weather set the tone for a bleak English innings. After winning the toss, Pakistan elected to bowl, and the hosts slumped to 3 for 36 within just 10.3 overs.
The day’s drama was further amplified by the off‑field controversy surrounding England bowler Brydon Carse, which seemed to weigh on captain Joe Root’s mindset. Root fell quickly, offering just four runs before being trapped lbw by Mohammad Abbas.
The dismissal was followed by a string of cheap wickets: Ben Duckett (17) and Emilio Gay (8) also fell to Abbas, who was in sublime form, eventually finishing with figures of 4‑56. His partner, Mohammad Ali, contributed three wickets for 67 runs, including two sharp back‑of‑the‑hand catches that removed Harry Brook (15), Jamie Smith (61) and Ollie Robinson for a duck. England’s scoreboard read: Duckett 17 off 20 balls, Gay 8 off 17, Root 4 off 13, Cox 55 off 105, Brook 14 off 26, Smith 61 off 80.
Pakistan’s bowlers posted: Abbas 4‑56, Ali 3‑67, Khurram 1‑79. With Babar Azam back in the side, Pakistan displayed a markedly improved performance compared with their 103‑run loss at Headingley the previous week. However, fielding lapses persisted; Mohammad Rizwan and his slip cordon were positioned too deep, allowing several catchable chances to slip away. As the clouds thinned later in the afternoon, England managed to claw back some respectability.
Jordan Cox produced a steady half‑century, scoring 55, while Jamie Smith also reached his fifty after a period of low confidence for the wicket‑keeper‑batsman. Their partnership provided a brief respite from the early onslaught, but the overall narrative remained one of English vulnerability against disciplined Pakistani swing and seam.
"I was trying to ride the wave a little bit," Smith told Sky Sports. "It isn’t the most free‑scoring at times here – you can feel a bit out of rhythm but then catch up. I felt I scratched around at the start, but once I found the middle of the bat, it was slightly different to how I usually play, which is almost at top tempo to start with.
That seemed to help today." Gus Atkinson (34 not out) also contributed useful runs before play was halted at 6:10 pm due to bad light, with umpires opting not to resume. The next day’s session was set to begin with Pakistan’s bowlers fresh and confident after Abbas’s resurgence; he had taken only one wicket at Headingley but was now on a roll, dismissing Gay with a sharp catch by Rizwan, who dived to his left to collect the edge.
Early in England’s innings, Duckett edged a delivery to the slips but the ball fell short of the fielder. After 20 balls, Abbas finally trapped him lbw. The initial on‑field decision was not out, as the ball appeared to glance over the stumps, but a review confirmed the dismissal, showcasing Abbas’s persistence and the effectiveness of the Decision Review System.
Root’s arrival at the crease was marked by a moment of luck when Imam‑ul‑Haq nicked an edge that was taken at third slip, and Usman Khurram almost completed a catch on the fringe of the slip cordon. In the following over, Abbas bowled a delivery that struck Root’s leg stump, and the captain was out lbw, unable to bring his bat into line. Harry Brook’s brief cameo began explosively; he smashed Ali for four through square leg on his very first ball. However, his aggression was short‑lived as Ali produced a superb delivery that ricocheted off Brook’s off‑side and struck the off stump – a delivery many commentators later hailed as the ball of the day.
At the lunch interval, England found themselves precariously placed at 80 for 4. Stability arrived in the form of a 43‑run partnership between Jordan Cox and Dan Lawrence, though Lawrence’s innings ended abruptly when a run‑out resulted from a confusing mix‑up between the batters. Cox went on to hit seven boundaries, reaching his half‑century, and later, together with Smith, forged a 67‑run stand off 97 balls, injecting much‑needed momentum.
The partnership, however, was broken by Pakistan’s all‑rounder Salman Agha, who executed a spectacular one‑handed catch in the air off a lofted edge from Cox, diving to his left and securing the wicket. Following this, Ali struck twice in quick succession, removing both Smith and Ollie Robinson with back‑handed catches that resembled the earlier ‘nip‑backers’ that had troubled England. The final wicket to fall was that of Archer, who was dismissed by Abbas after a six that sailed into the Lord’s Pavilion.
Abbas then claimed the final wicket by removing the bails before the players left the field, sealing a day of dominant Pakistani bowling. Looking ahead, day two promises further intrigue as England seeks to rebuild from a precarious position while Pakistan aims to capitalize on the momentum generated by their bowlers.
Fans can watch the live coverage on Sky Sports Cricket from 10:15 pm on Friday, and those without a Sky subscription can explore the latest streaming deals or consider a Sky Sports app download for uninterrupted access. Overall, the first day at Lord’s highlighted the profound impact of weather‑assisted swing bowling, the importance of disciplined field placements, and the resilience required by a batting side to recover from early setbacks. Pakistan’s bowlers, led by Abbas and Ali, demonstrated why they are among the world’s most feared pace units, while England’s batting line‑up will need to adapt quickly if they hope to post a competitive total in the remaining sessions.