Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Ali proved decisive with the ball on the first day of the second Test at Lord's, exploiting the damp, overcast weather to force England into a precarious 248-9. After a heavy shower delayed the start until 12:20 p.m. on Thursday, the hosts stumbled out of the gate, slipping to 3-36 after just 10.3 overs when Pakistan chose to bowl first. The day began under a grey sky, mirroring England's gloomy start.
The recent off‑field controversy surrounding England paceman Brydon Carse seemed to weigh heavily on the team, and captain Joe Root could not shake the gloom. He fell to Abbas for a meagre four runs, a dismissal that set the tone for a difficult innings. The situation worsened when Abbas also trapped Ben Duckett (17) and Emilio Gay (8), both falling cheaply and adding to the pressure on the English side.
Abbas finished with impressive figures of 4‑56, while Ali claimed 3‑67, delivering three sharp ‘nip‑backer’ deliveries that removed Harry Brook (15), Jamie Smith (61) and Ollie Robinson for a duck. The England 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 bowling summary listed Abbas 4‑56, Ali 3‑67 and Khurram 1‑79. With Babar Azam back in the lineup, Pakistan displayed a markedly improved performance compared with the 103‑run loss at Headingley the previous week. Nonetheless, their fielding still left something to be desired. Mohammad Rizwan and the slip fielders lingered too far behind the wickets, allowing several catchable chances to fall short, a weakness that England could have exploited more effectively.
As the afternoon progressed and the clouds began to thin, England showed signs of recovery. Jordan Cox produced a steady innings, reaching a half‑century with 55 runs, while Smith also crossed the fifty‑run mark, offering some relief to a side that had been struggling for runs. Their partnership, built on patience and measured aggression, helped stabilize the innings after an early collapse.
"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, who did not bat, and Josh Tongue, who also remained unused, were set to return on Friday morning after play was halted at 6:10 p.m. due to bad light. The umpires decided not to resume, leaving the day’s action unfinished.
Abbas, who had managed only a single wicket at Headingley, was in prolific form on Thursday. He first dismissed Gay with a sharp catch taken by Rizwan, who dove to his left on the leg side to collect an edge. Early in the innings, Pakistan came close to removing Duckett in the very first over; the England opener edged a delivery to the slips, but the ball fell short of the fielder.
Duckett survived 20 deliveries before Abbas finally trapped him lbw. The on‑field decision was initially not out, as the ball appeared to glance over the stumps, but a review confirmed the dismissal, proving Abbas right.
Root then took his place and initially benefited from a lucky edge that flew to third slip, where Imam‑ul‑Haq attempted a catch that narrowly missed. In the following over, Abbas bowled a delivery that struck Root’s leg stump; the captain could not get his bat in time and was given out lbw. Harry Brook entered with intent, blasting Ali for four through square leg on his very first ball.
His aggression was short‑lived, however, as Ali produced a stunning delivery that snapped the ball back onto Brook’s off‑stump – arguably the delivery of the day – and the young batsman was dismissed. At the lunch interval England found themselves 80‑4 and in dire need of a stabilising partnership.
Jordan Cox and Dan Lawrence provided a modest 43‑run stand before Lawrence was run out in a bizarre mix‑up. Cox continued to dominate, hitting seven boundaries on his way to a half‑century.
After a couple of promising starts from Brook and Lawrence, the duo of Cox and Smith built a more substantial partnership, adding 67 runs from 97 balls and injecting much‑needed momentum. Their partnership was broken by a brilliant piece of fielding from Pakistan’s all‑rounder Salman Agha, who leapt into the air and completed a one‑handed catch off an edge from Cox. Following this, Ali struck twice in quick succession, removing both Smith and Ollie Robinson with two exquisite nip‑backers within three deliveries.
The final wicket to fall for England was that of Archer, who was dismissed by Abbas after slamming a six into the Lord’s Pavilion. Abbas then removed the bails before the players left the field, concluding a day where Pakistan’s seamers reigned supreme. Looking ahead, day two of the Test will commence with England hoping to post a more competitive total, while Pakistan will aim to maintain the pressure generated by their bowlers. Fans can catch the live action on Sky Sports Cricket from 10:15 p.m.
on Friday, or explore streaming options and the Sky Sports app for further coverage.