England bowls first after winning toss against Pakistan at Headingley

"

Updates from Headingley; play starts 11am BST Day one report | Sign up for the Spin | Mail Jim One win in England’s last 17 Tests. Those were the numbers that greeted Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes when they took over in 2022, a reminder of just how bad things had ended under Joe Root. It was a statistic that gave the new boys permission to rip up the old order. So it’s easy to forget that precious one. It was near the middle of that horror run, and it came at Headingley against India five years ago this month. The tourists were bowled out for 78 as Root reached three figures and celebrated his 27th victory as Test captain, a record among Englishmen. The Yorkshireman had to come home to find some breathing space.” Taha wrote a lovely piece about Root, Robinson, recent history and new beginnings: Continue reading...

"

England won the toss and opted to bowl first against Pakistan in the first test under an overcast sky at Headingley on Wednesday. Both teams have been in underwhelming test form, with England winning just two of its last 10 matches and at the start of a post-Bazball era with captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum no longer involved. Joe Root is back for a second stint as captain, Marcus Trescothick is interim head coach before Stephen Fleming starts full-time in the role in December, and Dan Lawrence — a batter but also a spin option — is in at No. 6 in his first test in two years.