Joe Root won his first Test back as permanent England captain by an innings and 103 runs with Pakistan rolled for 135 before tea on day three at Headingley.
A visiting side who had been demolished for 171 in 48.1 overs on day one were bundled out in 37.3 second time around in Leeds after England made 409 in their sole knock of the match.
Jofra Archer (3-50), much improved from a rusty first-innings effort, struck twice early on to reduce Pakistan to 13-2 and Josh Tongue’s (3-43) three-wicket burst post-lunch, including that of Shan Masood (29), pretty much ended any hope of the visitors reaching day four.
Root was rewarded for some funky fields – Azan Awais (9) clipped Archer to him at leg slip, Saud Shakeel (14) picked out Dan Lawrence in an unorthodox backward square spot off Tongue – as his team crushed their inexperienced opponents in a one-sided contest.
Gus Atkinson (1-11) cleaned up a swiping top-scorer Mohammad Rizwan (41) to put England on the brink before Mohammad Abbas (6) ballooned Archer to Lawrence to end a game in which Ollie Robinson (3-29) and Tongue bagged eight wickets each.
England are now toasting just a third win in their last 11 Tests and if they triumph in the second game at Lord’s from Thursday – 11am first ball, live on Sky Sports – they will secure a first series victory since a 2-1 success in New Zealand in December 2024.
They did thrash Zimbabwe in a one-off game at Trent Bridge last summer but have lost two and drawn one of their last three multi-match contests, with a 2-2 stalemate against India preceding a 4-1 drubbing in Australia and 2-1 home defeat to New Zealand.
Joe Root was inventive – and, more importantly, victorious – as he began his second spell as England Test captain
Bigger challenges to come but Root starts well
Stiffer tests of Root’s captaincy are still to come.
Hopefully in this three-match series, although Pakistan’s lack of quality and x-factor could scupper that, but certainly in South Africa over the winter – new permanent head coach Stephen Fleming’s first series in charge – and next summer’s Ashes.
Yet this was an encouraging start, with England’s run-rate of 4.55 an over owing more to Pakistan’s wayward bowling and sloppy fielding than Bazball-style batting, with Harry Brook showing welcome restraint during his 93-ball 91.
First-innings five-fors for Robinson and Tongue, England’s dominance with the ball, and half-centuries from Root, Brook, the recalled Lawrence and Jordan Cox were among the other highlights.
Jamie Smith’s dismissal – hacking an innocuous short ball from Khurram Shahzad (3-133) to midwicket to fall for 25 after England began day four on 366-8, leading by 195 – was one of few lowlights.
Around Smith’s exit, Archer (23no) and Tongue (8) struck some glittering boundaries – Archer smoking the game’s sole six, off Khurram over the leg-side.
Pakistan crumble again with the bat amid England onslaught
Archer then got stuck into Pakistan’s openers, forcing a swaying Imam to glove through to Smith and then extracting Azan, after the latter had avoided the indignity of a pair having been lbw to Robinson from the first ball of the match on day one.
Abdullah Shafique (15) and Masood steadied Pakistan for a spell, only for the former to prod limply at a Robinson delivery and edge to Brook at second slip shortly before lunch.
Tongue then vaporises Saud, Masood and stand-in skipper Salman Ali Agha – deputising for the injured Babar Azam (hand) – when the action restarted, with Masood caught at slip and Salman lbw to a nip-backer in the same over.
When Ali Usman (7) – whose five-wicket haul was one of the few bright sparks for Pakistan over a chastening three days – fell to an excellent diving slip catch from Cox, after the ball had ballooned up off Smith’s thigh, the tourists were toast.
Pakistan were eight down when Rizwan bizarrely exposed tailender Khurram (8) to Robinson just one ball into an over and the No 9 duly nicked off – one of many blunders Salman’s men made in Yorkshire.
Watch day one of the second Test between England and Pakistan, at Lord’s, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10am on Thursday (11am first ball). Stream cricket and more contract-free with NOW.
England vs Pakistan Test series schedule
All games live on Sky Sports; all 11am starts UK and Ireland
