Summary England were bowled out for 409 against Pakistan in the Leeds Test, taking a 238-run lead after Harry Brook, Jordan Cox and Joe Root hit fifties.
LONDON (Dunya News) – England were bowled out for 409 in their first innings on the third day of the opening Test against Pakistan at Headingley, securing a commanding 238-run lead after the visitors were dismissed for 171.
Harry Brook led England’s batting charge with a fluent 91 from 93 balls, narrowly missing out on a century. Jordan Cox continued his impressive debut with 73, while Joe Root made 66 and Dan Lawrence contributed 51 as England’s middle order repeatedly frustrated Pakistan’s bowlers.
Cox, who was brought into England’s side after Jacob Bethell’s injury, struck his maiden Test half-century, while Root and Lawrence also passed fifty. Despite the strong contributions, none of England’s four half-centurions managed to convert their innings into three figures.
Pakistan’s standout performer with the ball was left-arm spinner Ali Usman, who claimed his maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket. He finished with five wickets for 92 runs and was responsible for some of England’s key breakthroughs, including the dismissals of Brook and Lawrence. (The Guardian)
England resumed the third day on 366 for eight before completing their innings at 409. Jamie Smith added 25 before falling while attempting a pull shot, while Josh Tongue provided a late contribution before being bowled by Khurram Shahzad.
The sizeable first-innings deficit left Pakistan under immediate pressure in their second innings. England captain Joe Root had earlier won the toss and elected to field, after Pakistan were bowled out for 171 on the opening day. Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue claimed five wickets apiece, with Abdullah Shafique scoring 61 and Imam-ul-Haq making 42 for Pakistan.
Pakistan's second innings then suffered an early setback as Jofra Archer dismissed Imam-ul-Haq for a duck before removing Azan Awais, leaving the visitors two wickets down. Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique attempted to steady the innings as England continued to apply pressure.
The three-Test series began in Leeds on August 19, with the second Test scheduled for Lord’s from August 27 and the third at Edgbaston from September 9. Pakistan entered the series without regular captain Babar Azam, who was ruled out of the Leeds Test after suffering a hand injury during the team’s warm-up match. Salman Ali Agha was appointed stand-in captain.
