England Take Control of Headingley Test as Pakistan Start Looking Sheepish

Pakistan arrived at Headingley with a chance to test a reshaped England side still finding its feet after the end of the Ben Stokes era.

By stumps on day two, they were staring at a 195-run first-innings deficit and wondering how a contest that had briefly opened up in front of them had slipped so completely out of reach.

England closed on 366 for eight after Pakistan had been dismissed for 171 on the opening day. Harry Brook top-scored with 91, Jordan Cox made 73, Joe Root 66 and Dan Lawrence 51. None reached three figures, yet together they created something more damaging than one dominant century: a batting effort in which England repeatedly found another player ready to extend the pressure.

Ali Usman was Pakistan’s clear exception. The left-arm spinner claimed a maiden Test five-wicket haul, finishing with 5 for 92 and giving the visitors something meaningful to take from an otherwise difficult day.

The problem for Pakistan is that Usman’s effort came while almost everything around him was breaking down.

The seamers struggled for consistency. Chances went down. Khurram Shahzad repeatedly offered boundary balls. Salman Agha dropped Brook on 1 at second slip at the precise moment when Pakistan had the opportunity to drag England back into trouble.

That missed chance may prove to be the defining moment of the match.

England had just lost Cox and Root in consecutive overs. Another wicket would have left them 205 for five and Pakistan only 34 runs behind with two fresh batters at the crease.

Instead, Brook survived.

England moved on.

Pakistan spent the rest of the day chasing a game they had briefly been close to reclaiming.

For more Pakistan and England coverage, visit The Sports Encounter’s cricket section.

England vs Pakistan First Test: Day Two at a Glance

Match Detail	Position After Day Two
Venue	Headingley, Leeds
Pakistan first innings	171 all out
England first innings	366/8
England lead	195 runs
Harry Brook	91 off 93 balls
Jordan Cox	73 off 100 balls
Joe Root	66 off 112 balls
Dan Lawrence	51 off 79 balls
Ali Usman	5/92
Pakistan’s day-one five-fors conceded to	Ollie Robinson 5/51, Josh Tongue 5/46

England Did Not Need a Century to Dominate

The strangest feature of England’s innings is that nobody reached three figures.

Brook made 91.

Cox reached 73.

Root stopped at 66.

Lawrence made 51.

On another day, four unfinished innings might leave a batting side frustrated.

Here, the accumulation was enough to overwhelm Pakistan.

The important number was not the missing hundreds.

It was 366.

England converted Pakistan’s 171 into a lead approaching 200 without one batter having to carry the innings alone.

That distributed contribution is exactly what England needed after a difficult red-ball summer that ended with New Zealand winning the previous Test series 2-1. The Sports Encounter examined that collapse in detail when England fell apart at Trent Bridge as the Stokes era ended in defeat.

Headingley has already produced a very different batting response.

Harry Brook Played the Innings England Needed, Not the One People Expected

Brook’s 91 looked aggressive on the scorecard.

The way he reached it was more controlled than much of his recent Test cricket.

He scored at a strike rate close to 98 without relying on the kind of extravagant stroke-making that has sometimes made him look unstoppable and occasionally made him look reckless.

There were no repeated premeditated scoops.

No constant attempt to manufacture boundaries.

No sense that he had to prove England were still playing at extreme speed.

Brook simply punished poor bowling.

That distinction matters.

Pakistan offered enough width, short balls and loose lines that England did not need to manufacture risk.

Brook understood that.

His fifty came from 55 balls, but the acceleration felt natural rather than forced.

The innings was arguably a better advertisement for England’s evolving post-Stokes batting philosophy than another chaotic 70 from 40 balls would have been.

The Drop on 1 Was Pakistan’s Biggest Mistake

Brook should have been gone almost immediately.

Khurram Shahzad found the edge and Salman Agha had what should have been a routine chance at second slip.

It went down.

Salman injured his finger in the process.

Pakistan lost much more than a catch.

The match situation made the miss particularly damaging.

Cox had fallen for 73.

Root followed for 66.

England had lost two wickets for four runs.

Pakistan finally had something resembling momentum.

Brook walking back for 1 would have left England 205 for five.

The lead would have been only 34.

Jamie Smith and the lower order would suddenly have been exposed to a ball still doing enough under cloud and floodlights.

Instead, Brook survived and eventually added 120 with Lawrence.

Those are the moments Test matches turn on.

Pakistan Did Enough to Create an Opening, Then Failed to Recognize It

This is what should frustrate Pakistan most.

They were not completely outplayed every minute of the day.

There was assistance for the seamers when play resumed after a delay of more than three hours.

Khurram’s first ball of the afternoon swung sharply past Root’s drive.

Mohammad Abbas began with discipline.

Usman found significant enough turn to trouble England’s experienced batters.

Pakistan then got Cox and Root in consecutive overs.

The opportunity existed.

Execution disappeared at the exact moment it was required most.

Khurram Shahzad’s Spell Summed Up Pakistan’s Day

Khurram had moments when he looked capable of changing the match.

He also conceded 111 runs from 19 overs.

That economy rate of 5.84 in Test cricket tells its own story.

After producing significant movement early, he repeatedly drifted into lengths England could attack.

Cox took four boundaries from one expensive over.

Later, Khurram dropped a return catch offered by Cox on 57.

Then came the Brook chance off his bowling.

The bowler created opportunities.

Pakistan did not convert enough of them.

That distinction is important because simply saying the attack bowled badly would miss part of the story.

The seamers were inconsistent, but the fielding multiplied the damage.

Mohammad Abbas Could Not Sustain the Pressure

Abbas initially looked like the bowler most likely to give Pakistan control.

His natural accuracy, subtle movement and ability to operate with the wicketkeeper standing up created uncomfortable moments.

He opened with maidens and briefly forced England to reset.

Then his line drifted.

Cox punished him off the pads.

The inswing became predictable or inaccurate.

England began collecting boundaries instead of surviving.

Abbas still finished with respectable figures of 1 for 61 from 21 overs.

Pakistan needed more than respectability.

They needed wickets.

Ali Usman Was Playing a Different Match

If Pakistan leave Headingley with anything positive from the first innings, Ali Usman will be responsible for most of it.

The left-arm spinner produced 5 for 92 from 23 overs, his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

That achievement deserves context.

Headingley is traditionally discussed in terms of seam movement.

Pakistan selected three frontline seamers plus Usman.

The match was played under heavy cloud and floodlights for much of day two.

Yet the spinner became their best bowler.

He removed Cox.

He dismissed Lawrence.

He bowled Brook with an arm ball.

He then removed Gus Atkinson and Ollie Robinson late in the day.

Usman did not merely clean up the tail. He dismissed established batters and repeatedly gave Pakistan the possibility of limiting the damage.

Usman’s Five-For Also Exposed the Rest of Pakistan’s Attack

His success created an uncomfortable contrast.

If a left-arm spinner could maintain pressure and repeatedly threaten England, Pakistan’s seamers had even less excuse for their inconsistency.

Usman conceded four runs an over, which was hardly restrictive by traditional Test standards.

It was still far better than Khurram’s 5.84 and Mohammad Ali’s 4.68.

More importantly, he took wickets.

Pakistan’s other three bowlers combined for three.

That is not enough when defending 171.

Jordan Cox’s Maiden Test Fifty Was Built on Adaptation

Cox’s 73 was one of England’s most encouraging performances.

He resumed on 23 after the long rain delay and initially had to survive movement.

Once Pakistan’s seamers lost consistency, he responded immediately.

His first Test fifty arrived from 78 balls.

By the time he fell, he had struck 14 fours.

That boundary count was less about reckless aggression than Pakistan repeatedly giving him scoring opportunities.

Cox also showed enough patience to build a 150-run third-wicket partnership with Root.

The innings matters beyond Headingley because England are still trying to establish the next version of their Test batting order.

Jacob Bethell’s knee injury opened the No. 3 position, and the ICC confirmed Cox would fill that role for the opening part of the series. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

His first substantial contribution has arrived immediately.

Joe Root Made 66 on a Day Full of Almosts

Root looked set for another century.

He reached fifty from 95 balls and appeared increasingly comfortable.

Then Khurram struck him on the pad.

Root reviewed.

Three reds appeared.

His 66 ended there.

The symmetry was almost too neat.

Root was wearing England shirt No. 66.

It was his 66th Test as England captain.

He scored 66.

More importantly, the innings took him level with Sachin Tendulkar for a remarkable record: 68 Test scores between 50 and 99.

The Sports Encounter has been tracking Root’s march through the record books closely. His latest landmark follows his move past 14,000 Test runs, which we explored in Joe Root Reaches 14,000 Test Runs: Records, Schedule and the Road to Sachin.

Root’s Second Captaincy Era Is Already Looking More Pragmatic

There is also a tactical layer to Root’s innings.

Before the series, he said England needed adaptability rather than an outright rejection of the aggressive style associated with the previous regime.

The ICC quoted Root saying that small changes could make a large difference and that England needed to react better to different situations. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Day two looked like that philosophy in action.

England still scored at 4.46 an over.

They did not need to attack every delivery to achieve it.

The rate came from taking what Pakistan offered.

That is a healthier version of aggressive Test cricket.

Dan Lawrence Took His Chance

Lawrence’s recall brought another question into England’s middle order.

He had not played a Test for two years.

His County Championship form earned him another opportunity, and the ECB confirmed before the series that he was set to bat at No. 6. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

He responded with 51.

The dismissal was poor.

Lawrence attempted an aggressive slog-sweep against Usman and top-edged behind.

The innings before that mistake was useful.

He supported Brook through a 120-run stand and prevented Pakistan from building on the Cox-Root double strike.

England’s rebuilding process requires precisely this kind of contribution from players entering or returning to the Test side.

The Brook-Lawrence Partnership Killed Pakistan’s Best Chance

The score was 202 for four when Brook and Lawrence came together.

England’s lead stood at only 31.

This was the moment Pakistan needed to turn pressure into a collapse.

The next wicket came at 322.

That 120-run partnership transformed the match.

By the time Lawrence departed, England were already 151 runs ahead.

Pakistan were no longer trying to take control.

They were trying to keep the deficit survivable.

Pakistan’s First-Innings 171 Looks Worse With Every England Boundary

The batting collapse on day one becomes more damaging each time England score.

Pakistan were bowled out in 48.1 overs.

Abdullah Shafique made 61.

Imam-ul-Haq contributed 42.

No other batter reached 25.

Robinson took 5 for 51.

Tongue took 5 for 46.

England required only four bowlers to dismiss Pakistan.

That last detail should concern the visitors.

Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson took no wickets.

England still bowled Pakistan out for 171 because Robinson and Tongue were good enough to take all ten between them.

Pakistan Had Actually Recovered Before Throwing the First Innings Away

The innings did not begin hopelessly.

Azan Awais was out first ball.

Shan Masood followed at 6 for two.

Then Imam and Shafique rebuilt.

Pakistan reached 97 for two.

That partnership had repaired the early damage.

From there, the innings collapsed again.

Saud Shakeel made 5.

Shafique fell for 61.

Salman Agha reached 21.

Mohammad Rizwan made 12.

The final five wickets added only 53 runs.

Pakistan’s problem was therefore not simply that Headingley was impossible to bat on.

The top order demonstrated that runs were available.

The middle and lower order failed to extend the recovery.

Shafique’s 61 Was Another Reminder of His Value

Shafique arrived in England with confidence after his unbeaten 160 in Trinidad helped Pakistan end an eight-match overseas Test losing streak.

The Sports Encounter covered that performance in Babar, Shafique End Pakistan’s Away Test Wins Drought.

His 61 at Headingley showed that form had not disappeared.

The concern for Pakistan is that one substantial innings cannot support an entire batting unit.

Pakistan’s Trinidad Relief Has Disappeared Quickly

Only two weeks ago, Pakistan left the Caribbean with renewed optimism.

They had recovered from a 90-run defeat in the first Test to beat West Indies by eight wickets in the second and draw the series 1-1.

Babar Azam shared Player of the Series honors.

Shafique made an unbeaten 160.

Pakistan’s spinners dominated the decisive second innings.

Our full West Indies-Pakistan series review argued that England would provide a far harder examination of Pakistan’s renewed Test identity.

Two days at Headingley have confirmed that concern.

This Is Exactly the Test Pakistan’s Red-Ball Reset Needed

The England tour was always going to reveal more than the Caribbean series.

Pakistan entered the summer after another captaincy reset and another attempt to reconstruct their Test identity.

The Sports Encounter examined the stakes when Babar Azam returned as Test captain.

The central question was whether leadership change could solve deeper structural problems.

Headingley is providing an early answer.

Captaincy cannot prevent batters from collapsing.

Captaincy cannot catch a ball at second slip.

Captaincy cannot make a seamer hit the same length six balls in a row.

Those are execution problems.

Pakistan Looked Sheepish Because Their Body Language Followed the Scoreboard

The phrase matters because the match was not lost through one spectacular English assault.

Pakistan gradually surrendered control.

Loose deliveries were followed by dropped chances.

Missed chances were followed by defensive fields.

Momentum shifted.

The fielding side began looking less certain.

England sensed it.

Brook and Lawrence did not need to dominate emotionally. Pakistan’s own mistakes did enough of the work.

The most troubling phase came after Brook’s dropped catch.

The visitors had just created their best passage of the innings.

One clean catch could have intensified the pressure.

The opportunity disappeared, and Pakistan’s energy appeared to go with it.

England’s Run Rate Was Fast Without Feeling Reckless

England scored 366 in 82 overs at 4.46 runs per over.

That is aggressive Test scoring.

What made it notable was how little of it required obvious risk.

Cox punished width.

Root accumulated.

Brook attacked bad balls.

Lawrence rotated and then accelerated.

Pakistan repeatedly provided scoring options.

This is an important distinction in the conversation about England’s post-Bazball identity.

Fast scoring does not have to mean forced aggression.

Sometimes the best way to score quickly is simply to make the opposition pay every time they miss.

England’s New Era Needed a Day Like This

The context around England cannot be ignored.

Stokes retired after the New Zealand series.

Root returned as captain.

Stephen Fleming is set to take over as Test coach after the Pakistan series, with England moving through an interim phase in the meantime.

The Sports Encounter examined that transition in Stephen Fleming Set to Become England Test Coach.

England therefore began this series with legitimate questions about leadership, batting identity and personnel.

Day two did not solve everything.

It did show a team capable of scoring quickly without losing all situational awareness.

Brook’s 91 May Matter More Than Another Flashier Hundred

Brook will be disappointed not to reach three figures at his home ground.

He fell for 99 against India at Headingley last summer.

Now he has made 91.

The personal frustration is understandable.

For England, the method is more encouraging than the missing nine runs.

Brook has often been at his best when attacking.

The next step in his Test development is learning when the situation requires controlled aggression rather than constant invention.

This innings was evidence of that adjustment.

Ali Usman’s Five-For Could Become Important for the Rest of the Series

Pakistan may already be losing the first Test.

Usman’s success could influence the next two.

Lord’s follows from August 27.

Edgbaston hosts the third Test from September 9.

The ECB’s official schedule confirms the three-match series. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

If Usman can threaten English batters in Headingley conditions, Pakistan have reason to believe he can remain relevant elsewhere.

England will also study the manner of his wickets closely.

Brook was beaten by the arm ball.

Cox was caught behind attempting to play the turn.

Lawrence created his own problem with a slog-sweep.

There are tactical lessons for both teams.

Pakistan Need to Decide Whether 366 Is the End or the Beginning

England still have two wickets remaining.

Jamie Smith is unbeaten on 16.

Jofra Archer is at the other end.

Josh Tongue is still to come.

The first task on day three is obvious.

Pakistan must finish the innings immediately.

If England reach 400, the lead moves past 229.

If Smith is allowed to add another 40 or 50 with the tail, the match could become almost entirely about whether Pakistan can force England to bat again.

That is a bleak position after only two days.

Pakistan’s Second Innings Must Begin With Different Intent

The answer is not reckless counterattack.

Pakistan need clarity.

The new ball will move.

Robinson will attack the stumps.

Tongue will test the body and outside edge.

Archer and Atkinson remain dangerous even after going wicketless in the first innings.

Pakistan’s top order cannot treat survival as enough.

They need partnerships.

A 30-run stand is not sufficient when the deficit is approaching 200.

Someone must bat long.

Abdullah Shafique Is Pakistan’s Best Immediate Hope

Shafique has now produced significant innings in consecutive Tests.

His unbeaten 160 in Trinidad was followed by 61 here.

Pakistan need him to convert that form into a major second-innings contribution.

Another 50 will not be enough.

The situation demands 120 or 150.

That is the scale of the problem.

Imam-ul-Haq Must Convert His Starts

Imam’s 42 was valuable after Pakistan fell to 6 for two.

It was also another innings that stopped before it became match-changing.

Pakistan cannot afford repeated respectable contributions.

They need occupation.

They need one batter to force England’s seamers into third and fourth spells.

They need Root to move fielders away from catching positions.

The second innings gives Imam another opportunity.

Salman Agha’s Captaincy Will Be Tested More Severely on Day Three

Pakistan also have a leadership issue within this particular XI.

Salman is captaining the side at Headingley.

His dropped catch of Brook came with physical pain after the ball struck his finger.

How he responds matters.

Captains can have bad moments.

The larger test is whether the team’s intensity recovers afterward.

Pakistan need sharper fields, clearer bowling plans and visible energy even if the scoreboard remains ugly.

England Should Not Declare Victory Yet

Headingley has a long history of producing strange Test matches.

Weather remains relevant.

The pitch can change.

Pakistan still possess enough batting quality to produce a substantial second innings.

England therefore have to avoid thinking the match is already complete.

Their first objective should be extending the lead beyond 200.

The next is taking early second-innings wickets.

If Pakistan begin 30 for three, the match could finish quickly.

If they reach 150 for one, the pressure changes.

The Weather Makes England’s Current Advantage Even More Valuable

More than three hours were lost to rain on day two.

Only 57 overs were bowled.

That normally helps the team trying to escape defeat.

England still managed to grow their lead from the overnight position of 112 for two to 195.

Their scoring rate effectively compensated for some of the lost time.

That is another benefit of controlled aggression.

England did not have to force a declaration-style tempo.

Pakistan supplied enough boundary balls to keep the game moving.

The World Test Championship Context Makes Pakistan’s Position Worse

This series is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27.

Before the series, England and Pakistan were seventh and eighth respectively in the standings, according to the ICC. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

Neither entered Headingley with much room for repeated losses.

Pakistan’s recent win in the West Indies created some momentum but did little to repair the broader position.

A defeat here would immediately put them under pressure before Lord’s.

Pakistan Cannot Blame the Pitch This Time

There is a certain irony here after the recent debate around Pakistan’s own home surfaces.

The Sports Encounter strongly challenged the lazy criticism aimed at Pakistan after their ODI series win over Australia, arguing that home teams are entitled to produce conditions that test visiting strengths.

The ICC later rescinded the demerit point attached to the Gaddafi Stadium pitch.

Headingley removes that conversation completely.

Pakistan are playing on an English surface in English conditions.

The problem is execution.

The seamers had assistance.

The spinner found turn.

Chances were created.

Pakistan simply did not use enough of them.

England’s Four Fifties Tell a Story About Batting Depth

Brook 91.

Cox 73.

Root 66.

Lawrence 51.

Four different players crossed fifty.

That should concern Pakistan more than one player making 180.

A single huge innings can sometimes be dismissed as an individual performance.

Four substantial contributions suggest the bowling attack failed to control multiple matchups.

Pakistan found ways to dismiss everyone eventually.

They found those solutions too late.

The Scorecard Flatters Pakistan Slightly

366 for eight sounds competitive rather than overwhelming.

Context makes it harsher.

England are already 195 ahead.

They lost two wickets in the last three overs.

At 356 for five, the lead had reached 185 with only five wickets down.

Usman’s late burst made the final score look more respectable.

That burst matters, but it should not disguise how much of the day Pakistan spent without control.

What Pakistan Must Fix Before Lord’s Is Already Visible

Regardless of the final Headingley result, three problems are obvious.

First, the seam attack needs discipline.

England should not receive repeated boundary balls in conditions that should reward accuracy.

Second, Pakistan must catch better.

A side defending 171 cannot afford to give Brook lives on 1 or Cox another chance on 57.

Third, the batting cannot depend on two players reaching fifty.

Test matches in England are won through repeated partnerships.

Pakistan produced one meaningful top-order recovery and then collapsed.

TSE Analysis: Pakistan Lost Control Through Accumulated Small Failures

The simplest explanation would be that England batted better.

They did.

The deeper reason Pakistan are almost 200 behind is the accumulation of smaller failures.

Too many half-trackers.

Too much width.

Two dropped catches at critical stages.

A wasted DRS environment.

Batters failing to convert starts.

An inability to build pressure from both ends.

None of those errors alone guarantees defeat.

Together, they create 366 for eight against 171.

England Have Found Something More Sustainable Than Hyper-Aggression

This may be the most interesting English takeaway.

The innings moved at 4.46 runs per over.

It still felt like Test batting.

Root took 95 balls to reach fifty.

Cox took 78.

Lawrence took 76.

Brook was faster, but he remained measured.

England did not abandon tempo.

They abandoned the idea that tempo must always come from manufacturing strokes.

If this becomes the pattern under Root and the next coaching structure, England may have found a more resilient version of the aggressive identity developed during the Stokes years.

What Happens on Day Three?

England begin with Smith and Archer at the crease and a 195-run advantage.

The immediate scenarios are straightforward.

• If Pakistan take the final two wickets quickly, the deficit remains around 200.
• If England add 30 to 50 more, Pakistan begin their second innings facing an enormous psychological burden.
• If Pakistan lose early wickets, England could be threatening an innings victory before day four.
• If Shafique, Imam, Saud Shakeel or Rizwan produce a major innings, Pakistan can still force the match deeper.

The first hour will therefore carry enormous weight.

Final Verdict: England Are in Control Because Pakistan Let Them Stay There

England have played the better Test match.

That deserves to be said clearly.

Robinson and Tongue destroyed Pakistan on day one.

Root and Cox rebuilt England after two early wickets.

Brook and Lawrence punished Pakistan when the visitors briefly threatened a comeback.

Usman’s five-for prevented the lead from becoming even larger.

Pakistan’s frustration comes from knowing the gap did not have to be this wide.

They had England 202 for four.

They had Brook edging on 1.

They had movement.

They had a spinner taking wickets.

They had opportunities.

What they lacked was enough precision to turn those opportunities into control.

That is why the visitors looked increasingly sheepish as Headingley darkened under the floodlights.

England did not need one spectacular performance to blow them away.

Pakistan gradually made the game easier for them.

At stumps, the result is still technically undecided.

The balance of the Test is not.

England lead by 195.

Pakistan require something exceptional on day three merely to bring the contest back into shape.

Anything less, and Headingley could become another painful lesson in how quickly Test matches disappear when chances are created but not taken.

FAQs

What is the score after day two of England vs Pakistan at Headingley?

England are 366 for eight in their first innings and lead Pakistan by 195 runs. Pakistan were dismissed for 171 on day one.

Who was England’s top scorer on day two?

Harry Brook made 91 from 93 balls, including 13 fours.

Who took five wickets for Pakistan?

Left-arm spinner Ali Usman claimed his maiden Test five-wicket haul, finishing with 5 for 92 from 23 overs.

How many runs did Joe Root score?

Root made 66 from 112 deliveries before Khurram Shahzad trapped him lbw.

How did Jordan Cox perform?

Cox scored 73 from 100 balls and registered his maiden Test half-century.

What was the key turning point on day two?

Pakistan dropped Harry Brook at second slip when he had scored only one. England had just lost Cox and Root in consecutive overs and were 202 for four, making the missed chance especially costly.

Who took Pakistan’s wickets in the first innings?

Ollie Robinson took 5 for 51 and Josh Tongue claimed 5 for 46 as Pakistan were dismissed for 171.

How large is England’s lead?

England lead by 195 runs with two first-innings wickets still remaining.

When does the second England vs Pakistan Test begin?

The second Test begins at Lord’s on August 27, 2026, followed by the third Test at Edgbaston from September 9.

Is this series part of the World Test Championship?

Yes. The three-Test England-Pakistan series forms part of the 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship.