Jofra Archer took the final wicket at 3.38pm on Friday and Headingley made the sort of noise it had been storing up all week. Pakistan’s last man was gone, Joe Root gathered his side in the middle of his home ground, and England beat Pakistan in the first Test by an innings and 103 runs with two days of the match unused. Root did not get the 42nd Test century the occasion seemed to be teeing up for him — he fell for a Tendulkar-equalling 66 — but he could hardly have asked for a more straightforward first assignment of his second spell as captain.
England’s 409 was more than Pakistan managed across two innings, 171 and 135, and the win gives Root a 1–0 lead in the three-match series with the second Test at Lord’s starting on Thursday. It is also, as BBC Sport’s Stephan Shemilt pointed out, only England’s third victory in 11 Tests — the first since Ben Stokes retired from international cricket and Brendon McCullum was removed from the red-ball job, with Marcus Trescothick in interim charge of the Test side and McCullum staying on as white-ball coach.
How England beat Pakistan in the first Test
The difference between the sides was almost entirely bowling. Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue finished with eight wickets each, Robinson’s 8-80 a career-best match haul and Tongue’s 8-89 built on three wickets in two overs immediately after lunch. Archer topped and tailed the second innings for three of his own, removing Imam-ul-Haq with the 11th delivery of it and then closing the match himself. ESPNcricinfo’s Andrew Miller noted that England needed only 514 balls to claim their 20 wickets, in a contest lasting 175.3 overs.
Root’s verdict on his four-pronged attack was the most revealing thing he said all day. “The quality that we have within the team and our bowling group — I don’t really think they understand how good they are and how well they complement each other and in these conditions what they’re capable of doing,” he said. “It’s really nice for them to see that and to start the series like that.”
Pakistan out of answers
Stand-in captain Salman Agha, leading in the absence of Babar Azam, offered no mitigation worth the name. “Bowling, batting and fielding — England outplayed us,” he said. “We were not consistent enough in any department. In England, consistency is important because there is lateral movement here, so you must be focused at all times. That was missing.” He accepted England had been the better side on all three days, and pointed to his side’s short acclimatisation before the tour.
Which is the caveat hanging over the whole week. England were clinical, their catching sharp and Root’s field placings inventive, but the opposition were dismal from the first ball of the match, when Robinson trapped Azan Awais in front. It is hard to argue that a side rebuilding its leadership has learned a great deal about itself against a team this ragged.
Fleming on the phone, Lord’s on Thursday
The most intriguing detail arrived afterwards. Stephen Fleming does not formally take over as head coach until the Pakistan series is finished, but Root revealed the New Zealander had been in daily contact throughout the Test. “It’s been great to have [him] on the end of the phone,” Root said. “It’s great that he’s very invested already in what we’re trying to achieve.” The captain also singled out Jordan Cox, “very calm, very composed” at No 3, and Dan Lawrence, both of whom made half-centuries on their returns to the XI.
The result extends England’s Headingley run to seven consecutive Test wins, a sequence that began with an innings victory over Pakistan in 2018. They will not be adding to it soon: the ground has no men’s Test cricket scheduled in 2027 or 2028, a snub Root made no attempt to hide his irritation at. “I’d love to play as many games as possible here,” he said. For now, a win at Lord’s next week would settle the series, and leave Root’s second era two matches old and unbeaten.
