Watch highlights from day one of the first Test between England and Pakistan at Lord's
After a seemingly interminable wait, Test cricket finally returned to England – but how would a relatively-inexperienced Pakistan side fare at Lord’s?
Pretty well, as it turned out, as seamers Mohammad Abbas and Hasan Ali snared four wickets apiece.
SCORECARD | HIGHLIGHTS | HOW IT HAPPENED
THE REPORT
Alastair Cook’s 56th Test fifty came on a wretched day for England as Pakistan skittled the hosts for 184 at Lord’s, writes David Ruse.
England vs Pakistan
May 25, 2018, 10:30am
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MOMENT OF THE DAY
Plenty to pick from, including Dom Bess receiving his cap from a grinning Vic Marks, Mohammad Abbas’ devilishly-tricky delivery to bowl Mark Stoneman and Asad Shafiq’s super slip catch to remove Jos Buttler for 14.
The boundary that brought up Cook’s 56th Test fifty – the 10th of his innings – was briefly in the running too until Mohammad Amir pegged back the opener’s off-stump to start a slump from 149-4 to 184 all out. Precision and pace – it took a cracker to dislodge England’s former skipper.
TALKING POINT
Michael Atherton is joined by captains Joe Root and Sarfraz Ahmed for the Toss ahead of the 1st Test at Lord's
Should England have bowled after winning the toss? Cloudy overhead conditions and a green top to the pitch indicated to many, including Sir Ian Botham, that it was a day to stick the opposition in – a theory confirmed by England’s early loss of wickets and lower-order implosion. But Joe Root preferred to take the long-term view, in the hope that the dryness of the earth beneath the surface will work in his team’s favour when Pakistan bat last. Time will tell…
STAT OF THE DAY
Cook has now made a staggering 153 Test match appearances in a row, matching Allan Border’s record total. The pair are well clear of third-placed Mark Waugh, who made 107.
WHAT THEY SAID
ALASTAIR COOK: “Obviously we’re behind a little bit. Pakistan have had a better day but with a five-day Test match you’ve got the chance to come back – suddenly 50-1 can very quickly turn to 80-4. But credit to Pakistan. We will know at the end of the game if the decision at the toss was right or wrong but with the pitch drying out, chasing 250 on that final day could be really hard work.”
SIR IAN BOTHAM: “I’ll say it until I go blue in the face – I do think England’s seamers need to persist with a fuller length. It seems to me that if a ball gets hit or nicked for four, they immediately start to bowl back-of-a-length. The Pakistan boys were magnificent today – they kept the ball up there and kept trying to get the batsmen to come forward and drive. They kept the slips in.”
TWEETS OF THE DAY
Watch day two of the first Test between England and Pakistan live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10.30am on Friday.
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