England return to normal Test cricket with gritty batting performance
England return to normal Test cricket with gritty batting performance
Nick Hoult Thu, August 27, 2026 at 6:20 PM UTC
0
Jordan Cox followed up his fifty at Headingley with another in the second Test at No 3 - Philip Brown/Getty Images
“Remember success is an inside job.” Those were the parting words of Graham Gooch at the end of his speech to the England huddle and his call to take ownership of performance hit home.Joe Root turned to a “has-been” in his old batting coach to remind the players what it means to play for their country, and the responsibility that entails. After the events involving Brydon Carse it was vital England did not go down in a blaze of ego shots after losing the toss on a bowling day at Lord’s and they responded with the gritty performance Root is demanding, scrambling back from 70 for four to make 248 for nine.Gooch was one of those ex-players who expressed concern over England’s Ashes preparations, comments that Ben Stokes dismissed as the worries of those stuck in the past.Then England thought they were rewriting how to play Test cricket. Now, under Root, they are trying to be more orthodox and professional with the onus on soaking up pressure and fighting for the team. There are few better qualified than Gooch, ‘Mr Daddy Hundred’ himself, to talk about putting a price on your wicket on a gloomy day when rain prevented play until 12.20pm and bad light forced the players off just after 6pm.
Jamie Smith and Jordan Cox battled to fifties that were worth centuries considering the conditions and the state of England’s cricket at the moment. Both performances were hugely encouraging for this team’s development. Cox is making a good case at No 3 and Smith’s all-round contribution is growing once again.They came together at 120 for five and combined for a 67 run stand for the sixth wicket as Bazball was cast aside in the second session in favour of pragmatic cricket to keep England in the game.They won the battle of patience, the inevitable bad balls followed and Smith in particular was able to accelerate to an important half-century after a difficult 12 months in the Test side. His keeping has improved and this was an important innings to back that up. He was very composed, and played well on both sides of the wicket.
Jamie Smith top-scored with 61 after a lean time - Ben Whitley/PA
Cox unfurled some fine drives and assessed conditions like a veteran, scoring quickly to a run-a-ball 38 but only six more from his next 48 as Pakistan knocked over partners at the other end. It was vital Cox stayed in to stabilise the innings. It is the job of a No 3 to attack or defend; calibrate their game to what is required at the time. Cox, when he played briefly for England in New Zealand two winters ago and before injury cut short his tour, looked to be a player drunk on the Bazball fumes. He was out in a warm-up match against a New Zealand XI in Queenstown hooking and flailing at the ball. This was his second mature performance in a row, an innings of 55 to follow his 73 at Leeds and this was made in much harder circumstances.
Pakistan were better after their Headingley horror show. Mohammad Abbas must feel more at home on a dank London day than he does in Sialkot, and can earn a place on the honours board if he nicks the last England wicket after taking four for 56. Mohammad Ali bowled some jaffas, and some rubbish, for three for 67 and spinner Usman Ali kept it tight and found some turn before losing control as Smith went after him. England still scored at 4.4 an over a reflection of some of the wasted deliveries by Pakistan and 10 no-balls.
Inevitably they were a mixed bag in the field. Three dropped catches were redeemed by a run out and a world-class grab at slip by Salman Ali Agha – captain last week, left out here – to dismiss Cox when he lost his shape trying to hit the ball too hard.
Drops off Root and Dan Lawrence were not costly but keeper Mohammad Rizwan put Smith down on 15, diving over an edge off Ali with England wobbling at 147 for five. Smith made 61 and that could be the difference.
Emilo Gay’s troubles continued with a single-figure score, dismissed down the leg side. It is always a wasteful way for an opener to go, and his artist brother Simeon, who was on the TV gantry with his easel, looked as crestfallen as Emilio when he walked off.
With Ben Duckett lbw on the back leg and Root once again done by the keeper standing up, leg-before to an Abbas ball that jagged back, England were 36 for three and in a scrap. Harry Brook was bowled through the gate just before lunch by Ali bringing one back in down the slope. It is now a year since the No 1 batsman in the world scored a Test hundred. He is long overdue .
With Lawrence dropped at midwicket on 10, Pakistan appeared to be giving England a helping hand. But Lawrence had a brain fade, clipped one to the same fielder, Shan Masood, and raced down the pitch for a single that was never there. Cox sent him back, and Lawrence was well short of his ground.
Lawrence is caught short - Stu Forster/Getty Images
For Cox the challenge was to find a partner, and Smith gave ample evidence why England will give him plenty of time to rediscover his touch. This was the third fifty in a year for Smith, who started Test cricket with a bang – eight fifties and two hundreds in his first 13 games. Reality has hit hard since then with two technical flaws exposed: hooking at the short ball and the nip-backer.Pakistan lack the pace and a slow pitch rules out the bouncer theory but Lord’s with its slope is a nip-backer ground; it tests the defensive technique. Smith looked better against that threat until he went hard at a drive like Brook and was bowled through the gate. Three for 21 fell in the gloom of the last half-hour but this is likely to be a tight, low-scoring game and the old England would probably be out of it already.
06:14pm
Good graft
Boos ring out at Lord’s as the players are taken from the field with England 248 for nine. Who knows if that is a good score, but they have grafted pretty well today having been put in.
If the light improves play can continue until 7.30pm but stumps will be drawn if there is no play at 7pm.
The umpires have called stumps. See you tomorrow, we hope.
06:12pm
Bad light stops play
The players walk off the field to a chorus of boos. The umpires stay out on the square, waiting for an improvement.
This pitch has been better than the one for the first Test against NZ that started on June 4. But given that the highest score of four in that Test was 226, little wonder that Nasser Hussain thinks England are around par for this ground in these conditions.
06:08pm
OVER 56: ENG 248/9 (Atkinson 34 Tongue 1)
Mohammad Abbas gift-wraps a single to Atkinson and a four to Archer by spraying two deliveries on to their pads, the second a full toss. But he adjusts to clean up Archer the following ball, taking him to four wickets and a chance of another entry on the honours board.
Tongue gets off the mark with a flick to midwicket. Atkinson tries to follow suit to farm the strike but squirts it over the slips off a leading edge for four.
The umpires call for the light meter.
Time for Tests in late summer to start at 10:30, to reduce the risk of bad light. The next County Championship round will start then, so it’s a nonsense that Test days – which last longer – don’t begin until 11 in the late-August, early September slot.
06:03pm
Wicket!
Archer b Abbas 14 Betraying a fancy for having a bowl, Archer has a big heave across the line, misses the ball and is castled. FOW 243/9
06:02pm
OVER 55: ENG 238/8 (Atkinson 29 Archer 10)
Atkinson rolls the wrists on a pull to cuff a single through square leg. Ali keeps Archer quiet for three balls until he strays on to his leg stump and Jofra flicks a well-run two through midwicket.
05:58pm
OVER 54: ENG 235/8 (Atkinson 28 Archer 8)
A very arthritic looking Abbas comes back for a third spell and, after Archer uses his feet to Harrow drive for a single behind the square leg umpire, he calls the keeper up to the stumps. So Archer goes back into his crease, stands still and launches a perfectly respectable ball over long off for six. Stand and deliver.
05:53pm
OVER 53: ENG 227/8 (Atkinson 27 Archer 1)
Two wickets in three balls and it should have been three in four when Archer plays tip and run to mid-on and Abbas tries to side-foot the rolling ball into the non-striker’s stumps and misses by a mile. That puts Atkinson on strike and he ends the over with a crashing, lofted drive over cover for four after two wickets fell on double Nelson.
05:48pmWickets
Wicket!
Robinson b Ali 0 Beats him with another nip-backer and for pace. Robinson was defending not attacking like Smith. But he still played down Piccadilly while the ball was hurtling down Bakerloo. Excellent bowling. FOW 222/8
Robinson falls for a duck to another nip-backer - Gareth Copley/Getty Images
05:45pmWickets
Wicket!
Smith b Ali 61 Nips it back as Smith shaped to cover drive, whooshing through the gate to demolish the furniture, splaying all three stumps. An aggressive stroke from a batsman who had been on top of the bowlers. FOW 222/7
Smith plays a booming drive and is beaten by the nip-backer - Stu Forster/Getty Images
05:45pm
OVER 52: ENG 221/6 (Smith 61 Atkinson 22)
Ali Usman return and beats Atkinson with his arm ball that skids on straight, kisses the inside edge and causes the bowler to yelp as it rattles past leg stump and down to very fine leg for three. Not much luck today for the spinner.
We’ve just been remarking that the light has gone a bit flat. Nothing to worry about, especially with spin at one end, but it could become a problem as we edge towards 7pm, the scheduled close. In theory we could go until 7.30 to get the overs in.
05:42pm
OVER 51: ENG 218/6 (Smith 61 Atkinson 19)
Mohammad Ali overpitches and Smith moves into the sixties with a sweetly timed on drive, connecting so perfectly that the ball shot past the bowler and Smith’s bat did not break the perpendicular.
05:38pm
OVER 50: ENG 214/6 (Smith 57 Atkinson 19)
Smith takes a big stride to caress a drive off Khurram Shahzad to the extra-cover sweeper for two then nurdles a legside single. Atkinson cashes in on the inswinger by clipping it off his toes for two then plays a loose stroke, skewering off a leading edge between point and cover for two while aiming for midwicket. That was the oustwinger and it gulled the batsman. Now given width, Atkinson flashes hard at it and flays it behind backward point for four Khurram has one for 79 off 15 overs but he has bowled dome excellent balls as well as some dross.
Salman Ali Agha takes a superb catch to dismiss Jordan Cox for 55 - Gareth Copley/Getty Images
05:31pm
OVER 49: ENG 202/6 (Smith 54 Atkinson 11)
Atkinson brings up England’s 200 by opening the face to a fullish ball down the corridor and steers it past the slips for four.
You may have seen earlier that Jack Russell is painting proceedings today. Here he records his progress:
05:27pm
OVER 48: ENG 198/6 (Smith 54 Atkinson 7)
Reward for Pakistan’s bowlers frustrating England and reward for the acrobatic brilliance of Salman Ali Agha. Atkinson, who made a maiden Test century here in 2024, gobbles up a gimme on his legs, flicking it behind square for four, then bunts off the back foot through mid-on for three. Smith is also given a freebie on his toes and also clips it through square leg for four.
05:21pmVideo • Wickets
Wicket!
Cox c sub (Salman Ali Agha) b Shahzad 55 Goodness me. A blinder at second slip by the man who captained Pakistan at Headingley and was dropped for today. Cox has played some handsome back-foot drives today but this ball wobbles as it pitches, takes the edge as he throws everything but the kitchen sink at it and Salman dives to his right and takes it behind him. It flew! FOW 187/6
05:20pm
OVER 47: ENG 187/5 (Cox 55 Smith 50)
Smith is a bit of an unhappy hooker of late and Pakistan decide to test him out, Ali banging one in. Smith takes the bait, wheels through a pull stroke in a bit of a flap and misses the ball entirely.
Henry Crocombe could well go on tour this winter, having had one call up to the squad already. He’s bagged a hat-trick today.
05:16pm
OVER 46: ENG 186/5 (Cox 55 Smith 50)
Babar is back on now and he is the one that gives the nod to Khurram to keep going. The two-paced nature of the pitch is evident when another ball dies on its way through to Rizwan on day one. England’s taller bowlers may be able to make more of it than Pakistan’s three seamers. Khurram pushes one too wide and Smith drives hard, slicing it past point for four then whisks a single between square leg and midwicket to bring up his fifty off 63 balls.
05:11pm
OVER 45: ENG 181/5 (Cox 55 Smith 46)
Mohammad Ali carries on after tea and immediately finds Smith’s leading edge as he tried to turn it through midwicket. Babar is off the field so Saud Shakeel is calling the shots for now. Smith defends a couple then tucks a shorter one off his ribs round the corner for a single. Cox is beaten by one that angles in to the well-set right-hander and nips away, eluding the edge by a couple of millimetres.
05:02pm
Takes all sorts
The Lord’s media centre is a weird and wonderful place. There’s always recognisable faces milling about. So it’s not often that you do a double-take, but I definitely just did when I saw Sacha Baron Cohen – not in full Ali G regalia – wandering around with the MCC chief executive Rob Lawson.
05:01pm
‘Success in life is an inside job’
Earlier on I was wondering why Graham Gooch was in the England huddle earlier. Here’s the answer.
04:54pm
Tea verdict
England rebuilt through Cox and Smith, who battled away in the hour before tea to nose their team ahead. Cox made his second fifty combining patient defence with co-ordinated aggression. He was run a ball up to 39, then scored six off 48 as Usman Ali and Mohammad Abbas squeezed. Cox maintained his cool and brought his fifty up with consecutive balls to spark an England resurgence. Smith played a few wafts but also some excellent drives and Pakistan have not helped themselves. Three drops today and seven no balls have let the pressure off.
Dan Lawrence was missed on 10 at midwicket by Shan Masood but he did redeem himself by running out Lawrence when he misjudged a single to the leg side. Mohammad Rizwan dived over an edge off Smith on 15, and with England boasting a strong seam attack and excellent bowling conditions forecast for the whole game, Pakistan’s wastefulness in the field may cost them the game.
Lawrence is caught short - Stu Forster/Getty Images
04:48pm
Good session for England
They put on an even hundred runs for the loss of only one wicket. But the fact that it was a self-inflicted wound will take some of the gloss off their mood.
04:45pm
OVER 44: ENG 180/5 (Cox 55 Smith 45)
Khurram bowls the last over before tea and Cox nurdles a single into the onside, the bowler gives them another with a no-ball and Smith adds a leg-bye to the total before walking off to a more polite than hearty heart round of applause.
Time for tea. They will be back out at 5pm and can carry on until 7.30pm, light permitting.
04:42pm
OVER 43: ENG 177/5 (Cox 54 Smith 44)
Smith hasn’t faced Ali for a while and seems to relish it, working two off his hip and two more off a drive that sounds worse than it looked, the ball coming off the bottom and inside third of his bat. Still, it brings up the fifty partnership and Smith adds to it with a dangerous dab between slip and gully for four. I’m sure he meant it but had he mistimed it and found a fielder it would have given his critics apoplexy. He ends the over flipping two more off his pads to keep motoring along at a fair old lick.
A really terrific partnership so far, especially in the context of what happened earlier today. Both Cox and Smith are very modern batsmen, combining a classical technique with a range of shots. Their methods also don’t differ hugely between formats.
04:35pm
OVER 42: ENG 167/5 (Cox 54 Smith 34)
After two costly overs, Usman is whipped out of the attack and sent to the long pasture. Khurram replaces him and Smith defends with an angled bat, as if startled by the pace, and the ball carroms back off the pitch and whistles past leg stump.
The next ball is fuller and wider and Smith climbs into it, lamping a cover drive for four. The ball rockets past Babar, giving him no time to move. A misfield from the noticeably stiff Abbas doubles a single driven to mid-on to two and Smith ends the over with a second on-drive that forces Abbas to pursue it, doggedly doing so and keeping it down to three.
04:29pm
OVER 41: ENG 158/5 (Cox 54 Smith 25)
Ali finds bounce and movement on the threshold of tea, angling a couple in to Cox that take off from a good length and zip away as Cox, to his credit, reins in his instinct to follow them, keeping his hands and brain restrained.
04:27pm
OVER 40: ENG 158/5 (Cox 54 Smith 25)
Usman’s spell started so well but England have begun to give him a bit of tap after those two drag-downs at the start of his preceding over. Now he errs too wide outside off and Smith creams it through cover for four then hoicks a low full toss off the cue tip through midwicket for two.
04:23pm
OVER 39: ENG 151/5 (Cox 53 Smith 19)
One Mohammad replaces another, Ali returning for Abbas. He overpitches to Smith who whisks it off his toes for four but then beats the keeper-batsman with one that fizzes away off the seam and misses the edge by a gnat’s whisker. Two balls later he catches Smith in no man’s land with his footwork, prodding at a good length ball off balance and edging it through to the keeper. Rizwan dives, his hand going past the ball as it moved and he not only misses the chance bit lets it dip under his wrist for four.
The commentators have been saying the cordon and keeper are too deep all day.
Jordan Cox was almost a run a ball up to 39 and then scored six off 48 before those back to back fours for his fifty. A very good display of playing the situation and moving up and down the gears.
04:18pm
OVER 38: ENG 142/5 (Cox 53 Smith 11)
Cox breaks the manacles when Usman loses his grip and starts with a couple of drag-downs. Cox swivels to pull both for four to bring up his half-century, also the second in succession. Cox drives a single to cover and Usman gives Smith a similar present, this one outside off so England’s No 7 leans back and fillets point with a rasping cut shot.
Cox salutes his team-mates and the crowd - Stu Forster/Getty Images
04:13pm
OVER 37: ENG 129/5 (Cox 44 Smith 7)
You can see why Abbas takes so many wickets in England. He is content to nag away outside off, employing the seam to move the ball, establishing control in an almost suffocating fashion. He racks up a second successive maiden, angling the ball in and straightening it.
04:09pm
OVER 36: ENG 129/5 (Cox 44 Smith 7)
A first boundary for 14 overs as Smith drives at the left-arm spinner, the ball takes the edge, bounces in front of Saud Shakeel and scoots down for four. Not convincing but effective.
04:03pm
OVER 35: ENG 123/5 (Cox 43 Smith 2)
After four dot balls from Abbas, Rizwan comes up to the stumps for Smith, summoned by the bowler. It’s a second maiden for the seamer as Smith defends, looks for gaps but cannot find any as yet.
03:59pm
OVER 34: ENG 123/5 (Cox 43 Smith 2)
Ali ends his fifth testing over with figures of 5-1-5-0 though I think he deserves some credit for Lawrence’s run out after drying up his runs. Smith drills a drive to long off for a single.
03:57pm
OVER 33: ENG 122/5 (Cox 43 Smith 1)
Root looks on from the balcony, inscrutable in extraordinary Elvis in Vegas-style gold shades. Smith gets off the mark with a firm push off Abbas past cover for a single.
Dave Shopland/AP
03:51pm
OVER 32: ENG 120/5 (Cox 42 Smith 0)
An astonishing act of self-harm from Lawrence ends the partnership on 43. Just sawed himself off. The replay suggests Cox should have sent him back earlier but there was never a single there. It was Lawrence’s call and he made the wrong one.
03:46pmVideo • Wickets
Wicket!
Lawrence run out 15 Remarkable how often a drinks break brings a wicket in the first over after resumption. Lawrence flicked Usman Ali to midwicket, set off on a hare-brained single and was rightly sent back. Shan Massood arrowed his throw to Rizwan who removed the bails with Lawrence stranded by at least a yard. FOW 120/5
03:42pm
OVER 31: ENG 118/4 (Cox 42 Lawrence 15)
Jordan Cox misses out when Abbas strays on to middle. He tries to clip it, misses the ball but his pads add two leg-byes to the total.
Nice spell of dry bowling for the first hour. On come the drinks with England fighting hard and not worrying about the run rate.
03:38pm
OVER 30: ENG 116/4 (Cox 42 Lawrence 15)
Usman continues to interrogate the batsmen’s technique and patience, probing away with orthodox left-arm off-breaks that turn away and sliders, giving England no room to free their arms. Just the single, a punch defensive that goes past the bowler and makes long off stretch his legs to fetch.
Lord’s famous lunch menu:
03:34pm
OVER 29: ENG 115/4 (Cox 41 Lawrence 15)
Abbas is right on the money from the start, a nagging line delivered from wide on the crease, nibbling the ball away from the right-handers. Lawrence adds a jammy single off a thick inside edge, Cox drives to point who dives and tips the ball round the post to make a gift of another.
03:30pm
OVER 28: ENG 113/4 (Cox 40 Lawrence 14)
After eight dot balls from Usman, Lawrence brings out the broom when he errs too straight and sweeps hard and square to the sweeper for a single. Usman finishes off the over with flight and guile earning him three more dot balls. Turn, too. It’s not ragging as a couple of balls did when hitting cracks at Headingley but there is plenty to encourage him.
Mohammad Abbas is coming back at the Nursery End.
03:26pm
OVER 27: ENG 112/4 (Cox 40 Lawrence 13)
Khurram has been infected by the no-ball virus, ruining what was going to be a maiden by overstepping with his sixth delivery. Another testing over before that, enticing him to have an airy flick that landed short of midwicket and a prod that send the ball down in front of gully.
03:23pm
OVER 26: ENG 111/4 (Cox 40 Lawrence 13)
Babar turns to spin, giving the ball to Ali Usman who took five for 95 at Headingley. The only spinners to take five-fors at Lord’s in the last 10years are Pakistan’s Yasir Shah in 2016 and Moeen Ali the following year against South Africa.
Usman begins with a maiden, turning the ball past Lawrence’s outside edge once and making him play at them all, varying his flight and pace. He is going to be a handful.
Jordan Cox drives down the ground - GLYN KIRK/AFP
03:16pm
OVER 25: ENG 111/4 (Cox 40 Lawrence 13)
Khurram Shahzad joins Ali’s no-ball club by starting his ninth over with two in succession then serves one up on Lawrence’s middle stump which he gleefully clips through midwicket for three. “You have to hold your patience to Lawrence,” says Stuart Broad. “That’s where he wants you to bowl. You have to keep plugging away outside off-stump.”
Khurram doesn’t get the message and sprays one on to Cox’s pads. He tries to flick it, misses but adds four leg-byes nonetheless.
Finally he executes the plan, finds Cox’s edge but the ball falls six inches short of second slip who are, Nasser Hussain has said since the start of play, stationed too deep. The ball ricochets off Imam-ul-Haq’s instep and they run two.
Nelson!
03:10pm
OVER 24: ENG 100/4 (Cox 38 Lawrence 10)
This has been a very good spell from Mohammad Ali, moving the ball both ways, finding inside and outside edges with no luck and he ends his eighth over with his first maiden, tying Cox up so frustratingly for the batsman that he wanders towards the last ball and has a big swish at thin air as it tails away.
Remember how Tim Wigmore told us recently that since Jonathan Trott, only two batsmen have averaged 40 for England at number three?
One was Joe Root who made a limited number of Test appearances in that position because he preferred four. The other was Gary Ballance of limited footwork.
In this context Jordan Cox is looking very promising. He presents the same sort of substantial figure as Trott, without the same partiality for the legside. Indeed his signature shot to date has been the back-foot force. In his three Tests he has been as solid, substantial and composed as any England batsman.
03:04pm
OVER 23: ENG 100/4 (Cox 38 Lawrence 10)
Abbas is “out of jail” but Babar sticks with Khurram who jags one back to whistle over the stumps after a judicious Lawrence leave.
Lawrence is given a life when he walks down, pivots on his front leg like KP in his flamingo days and hammers the ball at midwicket. Shan Masood barely had to move to his right but the ball burst through his hands and crashed into his thigh before dropping on to the grass. He middled it and it rocketed towards the former captain but he still should have snaffled it.
02:59pm
OVER 22: ENG 98/4 (Cox 38 Lawrence 8)
Another Pakistan bowler, Ali, finds another leading edge, this time Cox’s as he tries to whip a ball from the corridor through midwicket. The ball skews off along the ground to point. Cox tries to counter-punch by using his feet but Ali sees him coming and pulls back his length, using his leg-cutter to screech past the edge as Cox gropes at it on the hop. Only a no-ball to add to the total, Ali’s fourth.
02:54pm
OVER 21: ENG 97/4 (Cox 38 Lawrence 8)
Khurram is trying to exploit Lawrence’s change of technique, squaring him up as he tries to work the ball through midwicket with ones that nip away. And he manages precisely that, hitting a leading edge as Lawrence closes the face too quickly but the ball flies wide of the two slips and rattles away for four.
02:51pm
OVER 20: ENG 92/4 (Cox 37 Lawrence 4)
Ah, Mohammad Abbas cannot bowl until 2.57pm after some time off the field during the first session after an eight-over spell. Ali nips one into Cox’s pad and one away from Lawrence’s bat after Cox worked a single into the legside.
As we saw at Headingley Lawrence has adjusted his approach, taking a stride across with his back leg and opening his stance like latter day Peter Willey, his right shoulder coming round. It allows him to play straight balls from a fourth-stump line through the onside but makes him look cramped when playing through the offside as h does here, scuffing a drive through the covers for two.
Harry Brook lost his wicket in the last over before lunch - Gareth Copley/Getty Images
02:44pm
OVER 19: ENG 89/4 (Cox 36 Lawrence 2)
Cox punches a drive off the back foot through cover for four. Handsome stroke which immediately persuades Babar to move third slip to plug that gap. Khurram tightens his length and line for a couple of balls and Cox opens the face to get the scoreboard moving again by nudging the ball down through third man for two.
An off-drive off the final ball of the over holds up on the greasy outfield and Babar chases it down, limiting the batsmen to three.
Mohammad Ali will carry on after lunch, too. Abbas stays in the wings.
02:40pm
The players are back out
This session will last for two hours with tea to be taken at 4.40pm.
Khurram will bowl the first over from the Nursery End.
02:34pm
Last night at Lord’s
MCC unveiled its tribute to the double act of Sir James Anderson and Stuart Broad:
02:21pm
Some lunchtime listening
You can listen to episodes one and two now and episode three from Saturday:
02:11pm
Lunch verdict
The dismissal of Harry Brook just before lunch ensured Pakistan won the first session of the second Test as they partly made up for such a poor performance at Headingley and left England in a real battle for first innings runs.
A cloudy and humid morning at Lord’s made for very tricky batting conditions and England’s three senior players – Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Brook – contributed just 27 runs as Mohammad Abbas with three for 34 exploited the conditions superbly.
Emilio Gay was caught down the leg side, a wasteful dismissal considering the situation and one that heaps more pressure on his position.
Root was again felled by the keeper-standing-up tactic. It took Abbas just four balls with Mohammad Rizwan up to the stumps to pierce Root’s defences and have him leg before.
At 36 for three England staged a mini-recovery when the sun poked through and batting became easier as Abbas took a breather. Jordan Cox batted maturely and looked more confident than his experienced colleagues driving nicely and rotating the strike with quick singles.
Brook’s dismissal looked ugly – bowled through the gate playing away from his body – but it was a great ball from Mohammad Ali. However, it is now more than 12 months since Brook’s last Test hundred; a root cause of many of England’s recent problems. At least on the field anyway.
02:02pm
OVER 18: ENG 80/4 (Cox 27 Lawrence 2)
A great deal of sympathy for Harry Brook from Stuart Broad and Eoin Morgan as they show the deviation down the slope in slow motion. “Couldn’t do anything about that,” says Broad. Too true. A jaffa in anyone’s estimation.
Enter Dan Lawrence. Ali starts to him with a no ball that the right-hander pushes into the covers, walking across his crease as he does a lot these days. A not very convincing appeal travels across St John’s Wood when Ali hoops an inswinger on to Lawrence’s pads but that would have missed leg stump by a foot and Pakistan wisely let the DRS timer wind down without sending it upstairs.
Advertisement
Lawrence walks across again to work a ball from outside off through midwicket for two to get him off the mark before lunch.
Actually, not everyone’s estimation. Will thinks the shot Brook played was rash. The video is below to help you make your own judgment.
It’s a long time since Harry Brook made a Test century. More than a year, 10 Tests ago, against India at the Oval. Clearly tough conditions this morning, but 10 minutes before lunch that was not the shot of a man with stickability.
01:53pmVideo • Wickets
Wicket!
Brook b Ali 15 Nipped back a good three inches and gated him as he tried to adjust but ended up still playing down the wrong line. That was a peach of a delivery. FOW 77/4
01:52pm
OVER 16: ENG 76/3 (Brook 14 Cox 27)
England have not had a reliable opening partnership since Andrew Strauss retired in 2012 and of the ones who have come in together for the first wicket more than five times since then, Duckett and Gay average 27 which puts them 15th in the list. It’s not just Gay, either. Duckett is having a Labuschagne at the moment, that hundred at Trent Bridge notwithstanding, he is averaging 26.66 since the start of the Ashes last November.
It’s Gay, though, who is most under threat from Cox when Bethell returns and he adds to his score here off Ali with successive fours, the first an off-drive of blistering force followed by the daintiest of tickles down to fine leg.
01:45pm
OVER 15: ENG 66/3 (Brook 13 Cox 19)
Rizwan is up to the stumps for Brook, who uses his feet to try to counter the movement and the prospect of being pinned leg-before. He is hit by the first nip-backer, two strides down, but scrambles back into his crease. The next ball is fuller and wider and Brook creams it through cover point for four. Done by extra bounce off the penultimate ball of the over, Brook edges the ball short of third slip, the ball surprisingly taking the shoulder of the bat.
01:42pm
OVER 14: ENG 59/3 (Brook 8 Cox 19)
Some evidence of variable bounce of the type that earned Lord’s its first ever demerit point from a match referee after it was deemed ‘unsatisfactory’ following England’s victory there in June. One jumps up when nipping-back into Brook and thumps into the thighpad and another, a couple of balls later, scoots through low. Mohammad Ali also oversteps but he looks in far better rhythm than he did at Headingley when he kept slowing down with his finals strides as he approached the crease, troubled by the hill and the fear of overstepping.
Abbas pins Root leg-before - GLYN KIRK/AFP
01:33pm
OVER 13: ENG 57/3 (Brook 7 Cox 19)
After Cox glides the ball off a bat halfway between 180 and 270 degrees down to third man for three and he is given the strike back by Brook working another into the legside, Abbas takes out fourth slip and moves him to leg slip. The very next ball he squares Cox up with one that straightens, takes the leading edge and flies through newly vacated fourth slip for four. Too clever by half there, Abbas, old boy.
01:30pm
OVER 12: ENG 49/3 (Brook 6 Cox 12)
Mohammad Ali starts his second over with a pie, a greasy half-volley on a fifth-stump line and Cox swings gracefully through the line to thrash it through the covers for four. Cox plays tip and runs sensibly to cover point and Brook uses the angle in to his pads to whip Ali for two more.
We have seen Brook come in in similar circumstances before and decide to go berserk in bowler-friendly conditions, counter-attacking with some wonderful strokes and occasionally iffy judgment. There’s an example of the latter off the fifth ball when he almost barrels himself off his feet with the violence of his swing outside off to one that arcs tamely away from his edge.
01:24pm
OVER 11: ENG 42/3 (Brook 4 Cox 7)
Abbas has been perfect with his line and length so far, nagging away at the batsmen’s technique, and earns another reward with the golden wicket of the England captain with one that nibbled back in and would have gone on to hit middle and leg.
As soon as I typed that he greets Brook with a loose one on leg and middle, full and floaty and Brook clips it for four with a twist of the wrist.
Strange but true: when Jordon Cox and Joe Root have been batting together in this series, Cox has looked more solid and assured.
01:18pmWickets • Video
Wicket!
Root lbw b Abbas 4 The Kryptonite of the keeper up to the stumps pinning him in his crease leaves him vulnerable to the nip-backer which Abbas skilfully delivers to trap him above the back knee. He thought about reviewing for 10 seconds but decided against and trooped off. FOW 36/3
01:12pm
OVER 10: ENG 35/2 (Root 4 Cox 6)
The first bowling change sees Mohammad Ali replace Shahzad at the Pavilion End, which is not a massive surprise. Immediately Ali finds the outside edge of Root’s bat as the England captain went for a cover drive. Imam dives low to his left at third slip but cannot take the catch. It was a tough catch just above the ground but Ali is not impressed. England are under the cosh right now.
Root is flirting with danger. He advances at Ali and drives aerially towards backward point but it lands just short. England’s captain needs to be very careful or else he will be heading back to the pavilion soon.
That is poor from Pakistan; the pressure is on England but Cox is able to take a quick single up to mid-on when a single should not really be on offer there.
Time for drinks.
Emilio Gay unlucky or not? Put it this way, he would have got more bat on that ball going down legside if his head hadn’t fallen away towards the offside.
01:07pmAnalysis
OVER 9: ENG 31/2 (Root 1 Cox 5)
Cox is looking to use his feet, in particular to Abbas, and advancing in an attempt to negate the swing and put Abbas off his length. Is that a masterstroke or a risky strategy?
Talking of getting out of his crease, with Root looking to move at Abbas, Rizwan has been summoned up to the stumps, although the 12th man did not initially look like he was ready to bring on the helmet for Rizwan. Root has been caused a few issues with keepers like Carey and Blundell coming up to the stumps so this feels like a very sensible decision from Babar.
Root gets off the mark with a single through square leg.
Joe Root has been standing well outside his crease to Mohammad Abbas. So, only 8.4 overs in, the keeper stands up to Abbas for the first time.
01:02pm
OVER 8: ENG 29/2 (Root 0 Cox 4)
Pakistan are proving in the last few overs why it was an easy decision at the toss to bowl first. Shahzad does drop a touch short and Cox, slightly unconvincingly, pulls through wide mid-on for three. It came more off the splice of the bat than the middle but it is runs nonetheless for Cox.
12:57pm
OVER 7: ENG 26/2 (Root 0 Cox 1)
As he has had to do a lot of times in his career, Joe Root strides to the crease with England in a spot of bother. That old adage of England being 20-odd for two as Root comes to the middle. It is a good job Root has eight Test hundreds to his name and averages over 53 at Lord’s.
Abbas strikes Root on the pads second ball and Pakistan are pleading for the decision but that appeared to hit Root outside off. On the first replay, this looks close. Pakistan go for the review, perhaps knowing it is Root and how important the wicket is. The impact was indeed outside off and Root survives. These are some nervy moments for England.
12:53pmKey moments • Wickets • Video
Wicket
Duckett LBW Abbas 17 Abbas strikes Duckett on the pads and Pakistan appeal vociferously for the LBW. Umpire Paul Reiffel shakes his head but Pakistan opt for the review. It will be close but on first viewing Duckett will probably be safe. He is not safe as there are three reds and Duckett has to go. Abbas has both England openers in quick succession and, as we thought, he is a real threat in these conditions. To get an LBW to a left-hander from over the wicket is not easy but Abbas manages it. That is Abbas’ 900th first-class wicket. FOW 26/2
That was quite like that one Duckett got from Abbas early at Headingley, which was shown to just be clipping. I thought that one would be clipping too, but it was back pad and obviously Duckett is not a big man...
12:48pm
OVER 6: ENG 25/1 (Duckett 17 Cox 0)
Jordan Cox is in at number three.
Shahzad looked to be bowling tighter in this over but offers up a freebie outside off. Duckett drives through the covers down the slope and it has just enough on it to make it to the boundary.
12:43pmKey moments • Wickets • Video
Wicket
Gay c Rizwan b Abbas 8 Pakistan make the breakthrough in fortuitous circumstances. Abbas bowls one down the legside and Gay flicks it fine. Rizwan dives across to his right and pulls off a great catch. Gay is frustrated and cannot believe his luck. FOW 21/1
Emilio Gay’s reaction to his dismissal - head in the air, looking in agony - betrays a man who knows his Test career is in the balance. That’s a soft dismissal, scrambled down the leg side, and takes his Test average down to 22.5. The new Mark Stoneman?
Frustration for Emilio Gay - Gareth Copley/Getty Images
12:38pm
OVER 4: ENG 20/0 (Duckett 12 Gay 8)
The runs continue to flow for England. Shahzad bowls short and wide outside off stump, allowing Gay to easily cut away through point down the slope for four. That is too easy for this England opening pair. Shahzad follows that up with a much better ball that tests Gay outside off.
Gay then drills one straight at Babar at wide mid-off. Gay hit that so crisply and had it been either side of Babar it would have raced away for four.
England have thus far managed tough conditions well - Ben Whitley/PA
12:34pmVideo
OVER 3: ENG 16/0 (Duckett 12 Gay 4)
Duckett gets his first boundary. Abbas, who has been very tight thus far, offers up a bit of a freebie outside off stump and Duckett drives through mid-off for four. Babar is very wide at mid-off, closer towards cover, so there is a big gap straight down the ground through mid-off.
Duckett then finishes the over with his second boundary. Abbas again offers up width and Duckett cuts away past point for four more. Very unlike Abbas to offer up freebies like that.
12:29pm
OVER 2: ENG 8/0 (Duckett 4 Gay 4)
Khurram Shahzad will start from the Pavilion End. That is a concerning sign with all the noise about this Lord’s pitch that Shahzad’s second ball gets to Rizwan on the bounce. You would want to see better carry than that.
That is a lovely shot from Gay to get off the mark and score the first boundary of the match. Shahzad offers up some width and Gay elegantly drives through cover point for four down the slope.
Not a flattering picture of England bowler Mark Wood as he fends off a wasp - Stu Forster/Getty Images
12:25pm
OVER 1: ENG 4/0 (Duckett 4 Gay 0)
Mohammad Abbas will start proceedings with the ball from the Nursery End. Duckett gets the first runs of the morning with a punch through the covers for a couple. As Duckett and Gay turned to come through for the second run, it looked like it could have been nervy if the fielding had been clean.
Abbas has started over the wicket and has sent a few good deliveries straight across Duckett. The bounce in these early stages looks a little bounce tennis-bally!
The final ball of the over takes the outside edge of Duckett’s bat but comes up short of second slip. Duckett is then able to come through for two as it went through the slips. The cordon might have to come up a bit with Abbas not the fastest of bowlers.
A nod to Colombo - where Sri Lanka have batted 154 overs following on to save the Test against India. You don’t see that too much these days. Magnificent stuff. The hero is 25-year-old Sonal Dinusha, who made a hundred in each innings, and three in the two-match series.
12:19pm
Ready for action
Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay stride out to the middle for England, knowing these are gong to be tough conditions to bat in. In particular this first hour will be a tough examination, especially against someone like Mohammad Abbas, who has quite the record with the ball in England.
Emilio Gay, who is quietly under quite a lot of pressure, won’t relish facing Mohammad Abbas with the new ball now.
Tough conditions for batting - Ben Whitley/PA
12:16pm
Anthem time
The two sides line up for the national anthems. Qaum&imacr Tar&amacrnah (The Sacred Land) followed by God Save The King.
12:13pm
A pitch to suit Abbas?
This pitch hasn’t been used this year so nobody has much insight into how it will play - other than slow and nibbling. Mohammad Abbas, Pakistan’s one trump card, has taken ten wickets in a Lord’s Test before.
12:09pm
England captain Joe Root
“We would have bowled first too. The pitch looks very different to the last time we were here. It is an opportunity to get some runs on the board and, as we did in the last game, assess the situation that we find ourselves in again and be skilful enough to put on a score and find a way through it. I was pleased with our calmness and maturity at Headingley. It was not absolutely perfect but it was a great blueprint for us to start on. More of the same this week.”
12:05pm
Captain from last game gone
Babar Azam cannot believe his luck on winning this toss. Joe Root is sanguine, saying the pitch looks very different from the NZ Test, with just 6mm of grass. No risks from the MCC groundstaff.
Babar is back as captain, and replaces Salman Ali Agha in the XI. Salman has gone from being skipper to dropped.
12:03pm
Teams
England: B Duckett, E Gay, J Cox, J Root (captain), H Brook, D Lawrence, J Smith (wicketkeeper), G Atkinson, O Robinson, J Archer, J Tongue.
Pakistan Imam-ul-Haq, A Awais, S Masood, A Shafique, B Azam (captain), S Shakeel, M Rizwan (wicketkeeper), A Usman, K Shahzad, M Abbas, M Ali.
11:59am
Pakistan win the toss and bowl
Babar Azam, back from injury, calls correctly at the toss and wins a massive toss, unsurprisingly deciding to field first. A no-brainer decision to be honest.
11:58am
Toss incoming
Finally, an hour and a half later than originally scheduled, we are ready for the toss at Lord’s, a toss that feels so crucial to this game, with conditions today in favour of the bowlers.
11:48am
session times
Session 1: 12:20 - 14:00Lunch 14:00 - 14:40Session 2: 14:40 - 16:40Tea: 16:40 - 17:00Session 3: 17:00 - 19:00
85 overs 20 minutes lost today
11:43am
Jordan Cox speaking to Sky Sports
11:35am
New time for the toss
Unfortunately, that short burst of rain means that the toss will now take place half an hour later than we thought at 12pm. The new start time is 12.20pm. Both captains you would imagine will be desperate to win the toss so that they can bowl first. Whoever wins the toss may take a big advantage in this match.
Toss is now 12, start at 12.20. Fair to say it’s a big toss.
11:32am
Another wicket for Carse
Durham are on top against Gloucestershire up at Chester-le-Street. They have already taken three Gloucestershire wickets, with Brydon Carse taking two of them:
11:31am
Righting a wrong
This week we called for MCC to commission a portrait of Harold Larwood to right an historical wrong stretching back to the Bodyline series. The works of art cost around £25,000 and a Telegraph reader this morning got in touch to offer to fund the project. Mike Atherton also backed the project in the Times and has received generous offers of funding. These have been passed on to Mark Nicholas, MCC chair, and it sounds as though club insiders are very keen for the project to go ahead. Let’s hope it can be unveiled for the Ashes Lord’s Test next summer.
11:29am
Bad news
Unfortunately, the rain returning means that the toss has been delayed. There is still hope we can get going at midday but that is not a guarantee.
11:29am
Will we get the toss on time?
Graham Gooch has just given a speech in the England huddle. Not sure why. Anyway, the covers are briefly back on the pitch and the bowlers’ run-ups because it seems to be spitting again. Joe Root is ready for the toss.
11:28am
Stuart Broad on Sky Sports
11:25am
Another wicket for Durham
Whilst we await a start at Lord’s, we can focus on the county action. Brydon Carse has taken a wicket for Durham against Gloucestershire and now Matthew Potts has a wicket.
11:21am
Slightly concerning?
With around 10 minutes to go until the delayed toss, the hover cover has just come back on over the pitch with some rain in the air at Lord’s. Will that delay the delayed toss? Joe Root, with his England blazer on ahead of the toss, is leading a huddle with the whole England squad. Graham Gooch is currently also in the England huddle giving a speech.
Worryingly, there are umbrellas going up around Lord’s.
England great Graham Gooch speaking to the current crop - Gareth Copley/Getty Images
11:19am
Timings for the day
Toss: 11:30 Start: 12:00 Lunch: 14:00 Tea: 16:40 Stumps: 19:00 90 overs
11:18am
Carse in the wickets already
Whilst the Sky Sports team discuss the culture within the England dressing room in light of the Brydon Carse incident last weekend, the man at the centre of it has just taken a wicket for Durham against Gloucestershire:
11:16am
Good news
The umpires have inspected the pitch and the toss will take place at 11.30am. So long as there is no more rain, we are set to get under way at 12pm. That felt like a pipe dream an hour ago but it demonstrates the quality of the drainage at Lord’s.
An impressive bit of intent from the umpires, who have us starting in 45 minutes!
11:15am
Joe Root checking out the surface
Bowl first day? - Ben Whitley/PA
11:14am
Eoin Morgan speaking on the Brydon Carse incident and how captain Joe Root will be feeling
11:11am
Pakistan’s Imam-ul-Haq speaking to Sky Sports
11:06am
Fleming will not arrive in England until after Pakistan series
Stephen Fleming, England’s incoming Test coach, will not arrive in the country until after his scandal-hit team’s series with Pakistan.
Fleming was appointed to replace Brendon McCullum as Test coach a month ago, with Marcus Trescothick placed in interim charge for Pakistan before the New Zealander takes over against South Africa at Christmas.
England said he would come to the country on an undisclosed date in September, and it had been hoped that he could be in situ – even if not in charge – by the third Test at Edgbaston on September 9.
10:59am
Nasser Hussain on Joe Root
“It is nice to have [Joe] Root back in charge, a sensible grown-up in the room, and I thought the press conference he gave this week was outstanding. His energy will be tested down the line because as England captain you have to deal with everything, not just what goes on on the field.
“We have to make sure we keep Joe around for as long as possible. The only way to do that is by easing the pressure on him and making sure other people do their jobs off the field. We will only realise what a legend when he is not there.”
10:56am
Bowl first day?
The covers have come off so we get our first sight today of the pitch. It is looking on the green side and you would imagine that if you win the toss you bowl first. I would be stunned whoever wins the toss if they opt to bat first. The pitch at Lord’s has come under scrutiny of late and here is an excerpt from Will Macpherson’s piece about it:
Until Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson stayed out beyond midnight celebrating England’s crapshoot win, the first Lord’s Test of this summer was all set to be remembered chiefly for its pitch.
But by the time the match referee gave his judgment, grading the surface “unsatisfactory” and handing Lord’s its first demerit point, English cricket was in full-blown crisis. A couple of pea-rollers and a match completed in 165 overs – less than two full days’ play, even if rain meant it lasted four – had been forgotten. Stokes had been openly critical of the surface, so this was perhaps the first time all week that executives at Marylebone Cricket Club, the owners of Lord’s, had been thanking him.
10:51am
County focus
There will be a bit of action in the Championship from 11am around the grounds. Brydon Carse and Ben Stokes are both in a very strong-looking Durham side.
I am expecting England’s unused players, like Ollie Pope and Shoaib Bashir, to be sent back to the shires to play. But they can’t be released by England until they know they are not playing - ie nobody gets injured in the warm-up.
10:49am
Pitch inspection
The rain appears to have passed for now, although that might not be the end of it for today. There will be a pitch inspection at 11.10am, which is in around 20 minutes, and the covers have pretty much all come off, which is a positive sign. Not that long ago, it appeared we were a long way off a start but we might get going before lunch.
Covers are off and the umpires are going to have a look at 11.10. Good Test for the legendary Lord’s drainage here.
10:47am
Pope out back for a bat
Ollie Pope will not be in England’s XI for this game, barring a huge shock, but he has been out the back at the indoor nets.
England player Ollie Pope makes his way through the rain from the indoor nets - Stu Forster/Getty Images
10:42am
More positive news from HQ
The toss, inevitably, has been delayed, but the rain has stopped, and a clean-up operation is underway. I can’t see any umbrellas, even from the groundstaff! I would still bet on an early lunch and start some time between 12:30 and 1pm.
10:40am
Stokes and Carse play for Durham
The news from Chester-le-Street is that former England Test captain Ben Stokes and Brydon Carse, dropped from the England squad for this week, play for Durham against Gloucestershire. Durham are bowling first and it appears that match looks set to start on time so both Stokes and Carse as well as Matthew Potts will have the ball in their hands soon.
10:38am
Nasser Hussain on Sky Sports
“We call Pakistan mercurial but that they are not mercurial any more; what we saw at Leeds is where they are at. Babar [Azam] said in his press conference that Pakistan fight back. But they do not fight back. Their fixtures against India in ICC events are very one-sided and they do not travel well.
“They need something to galvanise them. At Headingley, there was no pace or wrist-spin with the ball and no flair with the bat. No passion. They got what they deserved so this week I want to see a bit more from Pakistan.”
10:32am
Jack Russell hard at work!
Unfortunately no cricket to paint but probably some moody skylines!
Former England wicketkeeper and now artist Jack Russell - Stu Forster/Getty Images
10:27am
Josh Tongue speaking ahead of the second Test
10:22am
View up north
Durham are in County Championship action at home against Gloucestershire and there will be plenty of eyes on their XI today. Former England Test captain Ben Stokes is expected to be in there and we will see if Brydon Carse is in there. Carse was named in the 15-man squad for Durham yesterday and we are just under 10 minutes away from finding out if he will be in the final XI.
10:18am
Nick Hoult: Root has never looked more like a leader – imagine Brook dealing with this
Never has Joe Root looked more like a leader than when he revealed his anger at Brydon Carse’s behaviour as the latest England player to bring shame on the team.
Root brought forward his pre-match press conference by 24 hours to take the lead on Carse’s arrest in the early hours of Sunday morning.
It was a reminder why Root was the only man for the job when Ben Stokes retired; can you imagine Harry Brook in this situation just before his second Test as captain?
Joe Root had to field some tough questions the other day - Ben Whitley/PA
10:12am
Delayed toss
It is no surprise with the overnight and continuing rain in London that the toss will not take place on time. The full covers are on at Lord’s and whenever we do get on today it most definitely feels like a toss to win and bowl. You would fear in particular for Pakistan if they are put into bat later today with conditions in favour of the bowlers.
We are in for a delay to play - Stu Forster/Getty Images
10:09am
Exclusive: Police investigating alleged assault in connection to Carse arrest
Derbyshire police are investigating an alleged assault in connection to Brydon Carse’s arrest and de-arrest.
Carse was filmed by a member of the public in handcuffs around 4am on Sunday morning outside a nightclub in Derby city centre. He has since been dropped from the England squad for the second Test against Pakistan at Lord’s and the Cricket Regulator has launched an investigation.
Derbyshire police confirmed in a statement to Telegraph Sport that an investigation into assault has been launched: “We are investigating allegations of assault in Derby city centre. No arrests have yet been made and the investigation is ongoing.”
10:04am
Queuing up early but a need for an umbrella
As is customary at Lord’s, the MCC members were queuing up early this morning - Ben Whitley/PA
10:01am
Series schedule
First Test (Headingley): England won by innings and 103 runsSecond Test (Lord’s): August 27-31Third Test (Edgbaston): September 9-13
09:59am
Not a good first update!
Good for the garden, no good for Test cricket. A summer of drought does not make the rain, which started early this morning, remotely welcome. Unfortunately think we are looking at a lost morning session. Weather due to improve later but there might be a bit of bad light in play too.
09:56amKey moments
More unwanted headlines
England look to wrap up the series as they take on Pakistan at Lord’s in the second Test, hoping to put off-field distractions in the build-up this game to one side. After England won the first Test at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs, the headlines have since turned to off-field matters. Within 24 hours of that victory being sealed, video footage emerged of Brydon Carse being handcuffed in the early hours of Sunday morning during a night out in Derby. Carse was not involved in England’s XI for the first Test but was in the squad, released back to his county. The Durham seamer has subsequently been withdrawn from the squad for this game whilst the Cricket Regulator investigates the matter. This is the latest off-field incident involving England players that has resulted in unwanted headlines, which includes Harry Brook in New Zealand and the trip to Noosa during the Ashes.
“If I am being brutally honest, I am really hacked off,” England captain Joe Root said in his press conference two days out from this second Test. “I am really disappointed that after last week’s performance we are sat here and we are talking about something not related to it at all. In terms of the incident itself, obviously with the regulator, there is not a lot I can say on it. It is in their hands now. I have spoken to Brydon when I first found out; my first concern was for him as a person. In my time in the dressing room, you obviously develop personal relationships with players.
Joe Root was fairly punchy in his press conference a few days ago - Stu Forster/Getty Images
“I do not think I am speaking out of turn when I say he has been very upset and has been very apologetic and understands his actions. I am sure when he gets his chance, he will say that himself. It is not the isolated incident itself, it is the fact that we continually keep making stupid mistakes away from the game and it is detracting from what we are doing on the field.”
Sonny Baker has replaced Carse in the squad for this second Test although England may well opt for the same bowling attack as the first Test. A win for England at Lord’s this week would see them win a multi-match Test series for the first time since 2024, when they won 2-1 in New Zealand.
Brydon Carse is out of the squad for this game - Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images
The defeat in the first Test means that Pakistan have lost 14 of their last 19 Tests. The tourists are hoping to welcome back Babar Azam into the fold, with their captain missing the first Test due to a hand injury.
Play from day one at Lord’s gets under way at 11am.
Source: “AOL Sports”
