Lord’s Test: Abbas, Ali Trouble England Before Cox, Smith Rescue Hosts

Pakistan spent much of the opening day at Lord’s appearing one wicket away from taking complete control. England kept finding someone capable of stopping them.

Mohammad Abbas struck repeatedly with the new ball, Mohammad Ali broke through the middle and lower order, and Babar Azam’s return as Test captain immediately gave Pakistan a far stronger first-day position than they managed at Headingley. Yet England reached stumps at 248 for 9 after Jordan Cox and Jamie Smith scored half-centuries before Gus Atkinson counterattacked late in fading light.

Bad light eventually ended play after 56 overs, leaving Atkinson unbeaten on 34 from 27 balls alongside Josh Tongue on 1.

Pakistan therefore finished only one wicket away from completing England’s first innings. England, however, had already turned 36 for 3 and later 77 for 4 into a total that gives their bowlers something meaningful to defend on Day 2.

That is why the opening day was genuinely shared.

Pakistan controlled the wicket column. England repeatedly controlled the recovery.

England vs Pakistan 2nd Test: Day 1 Scorecard

Match	England vs Pakistan, 2nd Test
Venue	Lord’s, London
Date	August 27, 2026
Toss	Pakistan won the toss and elected to field
England	248/9 from 56 overs
Jordan Cox	55 from 105 balls
Jamie Smith	61 from 80 balls
Gus Atkinson	34 not out from 27 balls
Mohammad Abbas	4/56
Mohammad Ali	3/67
Khurram Shahzad	1/79
Series	England lead 1-0

The ECB’s official match page confirmed the Lord’s contest as the second Test of the three-match series, while the ICC World Test Championship provides the wider context around a series carrying important points for both teams.

Pakistan’s First 11 Overs Changed the Mood of the Series

Pakistan arrived at Lord’s needing evidence that Headingley had not broken them.

England had won the first Test by an innings and 103 runs, a result that exposed Pakistan’s batting and left them chasing the series almost immediately. The Sports Encounter had already examined whether Pakistan could fight back at Lord’s after the Headingley defeat.

The answer, at least with the ball on Thursday morning, was emphatic.

Abbas removed Emilio Gay for 8, trapped Ben Duckett lbw for 17 and then dismissed England captain Joe Root for only 4.

England were 36 for 3 after 10.3 overs.

That sequence mattered because Pakistan had spent much of the first Test struggling to sustain pressure even when wickets arrived. At Lord’s, Abbas gave Babar exactly what a captain needs after choosing to bowl: an opening spell that forced the opposition to rebuild before lunch.

Harry Brook briefly threatened to accelerate, but Mohammad Ali bowled him for 15.

England slipped to 77 for 4.

The game was leaning heavily toward Pakistan.

Jordan Cox Changed the Pace of the Collapse

Jordan Cox did not rescue England through aggression.

He rescued them through refusal.

Cox faced 105 deliveries for his 55, striking seven boundaries while absorbing the pressure created by Pakistan’s seamers. His innings was particularly valuable because wickets continued falling around him.

Dan Lawrence made 17 before being run out by Shan Masood and Mohammad Rizwan, leaving England 120 for 5.

Cox then combined with Jamie Smith in the first partnership of the day that genuinely pushed Pakistan away from immediate control.

The pair added 67 for the sixth wicket.

Smith attacked more freely while Cox remained the stabilizer. That contrast gave England something they had lacked during the first session: one batter protecting the innings while another forced Pakistan to adjust their fields and lengths.

Cox reached his fifty from 88 balls.

He was eventually dismissed for 55 when Khurram Shahzad induced the mistake and substitute fielder Salman Ali Agha completed a superb catch.

The dismissal carried an unusual subplot of its own.

Salman Ali Agha Lost the Captaincy for Lord’s but Still Produced a Captain’s Moment

Babar Azam returned to lead Pakistan after missing the Headingley Test because of his hand injury.

Salman Ali Agha had captained Pakistan in Babar’s absence. He did not make the playing XI at Lord’s, but his influence on Day 1 still arrived in one of the most memorable moments in the field.

Appearing as a substitute fielder, Salman took the catch that ended Cox’s 105-ball resistance.

It was a small moment statistically. Cox’s wicket belonged to Khurram Shahzad.

Within the larger story of Pakistan’s leadership transition, however, it carried more meaning.

Salman had been asked to lead the team in difficult circumstances at Headingley. Babar returned at Lord’s, but the former stand-in captain remained fully engaged when his opportunity came.

That kind of detail rarely dominates match reports, yet it says something useful about the atmosphere around a team trying to recover from a heavy defeat.

The Sports Encounter previously tracked Salman’s temporary elevation to the captaincy after Babar was ruled out at Headingley.

Babar Azam’s Return Changed Pakistan Before He Even Batted

Babar’s comeback was one of the defining pre-match stories.

The ICC confirmed before the second Test that Babar had declared himself around 90 percent fit after returning to training and was ready to lead Pakistan again. He had missed the series opener after aggravating a hand injury originally sustained during the West Indies tour. The ICC’s official update confirmed his return ahead of the Lord’s Test.

His second spell as Pakistan Test captain began earlier this summer after the selectors moved away from Shan Masood, a leadership reversal The Sports Encounter explored in our analysis of Babar’s return as Test captain.

At Lord’s, his first important decision was the toss.

Pakistan chose to field.

By the time England were 36 for 3, that decision looked fully justified.

More importantly, Pakistan’s attack appeared to have a clearer sequence. Abbas attacked the stumps and outside edge. Mohammad Ali worked through the middle order. Khurram Shahzad continued attacking even when England began scoring more freely.

Pakistan did not bowl perfectly. Their 22 extras included 10 no-balls, and Khurram conceded 79 runs from 15 overs.

Still, they created nine wickets in only 56 overs.

That represents substantial progress from Headingley.

Mohammad Abbas Produced the Spell Pakistan Needed From Him

Few Pakistan players faced more scrutiny entering Lord’s than Mohammad Abbas.

At Headingley, he had taken only one wicket while England built a decisive first-innings advantage.

The Sports Encounter’s Lord’s build-up specifically questioned whether Abbas could still generate enough uncertainty at Test level despite his exceptional understanding of English conditions.

Day 1 provided a strong answer.

His figures of 15 overs, three maidens, 56 runs and four wickets do not fully reflect how important his first spell was.

Gay, Duckett and Root disappeared before England could establish an innings.

Abbas then returned late to bowl Jofra Archer for 14, preventing England’s lower order from extending the recovery without further damage.

That fourth wicket arrived at 243.

Abbas therefore affected both ends of England’s innings: he created the initial collapse and helped prevent the late counterattack from getting completely out of hand.

His performance also justified Pakistan’s decision to retain faith in a bowler whose lack of pace can become a concern when the ball stops moving.

Lord’s gave him enough assistance.

More importantly, Abbas used it.

Mohammad Ali’s Three Wickets Were Just as Important

Abbas will own most of the headlines because four wickets generally do.

Mohammad Ali’s contribution was arguably just as important to the structure of Pakistan’s day.

He bowled Brook for 15.

Later, he removed Jamie Smith for 61 before bowling Ollie Robinson for a duck two deliveries later.

Those wickets prevented England’s sixth-wicket recovery from developing into a commanding lower-middle-order partnership.

Ali finished with 3 for 67 from 17 overs.

The sequence around Smith and Robinson was especially valuable.

England moved from 222 for 6 to 222 for 8 in the space of three deliveries.

Pakistan suddenly had another opportunity to end the innings before the close.

Jamie Smith Once Again Showed Why England Trust Their Lower Middle Order

Smith’s innings was more aggressive than Cox’s and arrived at a point when England needed somebody to change the scoring rate.

He made 61 from 80 balls with ten boundaries.

His fifty came from 63 deliveries.

Smith’s value to England lies partly in where he bats. When the top order fails, he has enough technique to reconstruct. When a platform exists, he can accelerate against older bowling attacks and a softer ball.

At Lord’s, England needed both versions.

He first helped Cox establish stability and then began attacking as Pakistan’s seamers worked through long spells.

The sixth-wicket stand carried England from 120 for 5 to 187 before Cox fell.

Smith then continued until Mohammad Ali bowled him at 222.

That wicket should have opened the door for Pakistan to finish the innings quickly.

Instead, Gus Atkinson changed the closing phase.

Gus Atkinson Turned 222/8 Into 248/9

England scored 62 runs in the final 10 overs of the day while losing four wickets.

That statistic captures why neither team can claim complete control.

Pakistan were taking wickets.

England were still scoring quickly enough to make those wickets expensive.

Atkinson finished unbeaten on 34 from only 27 deliveries, striking five fours.

His late counterattack transformed what might have been an innings ending around 220 into one approaching 250.

Jofra Archer also contributed 14 from 13 balls, including a six, before Abbas bowled him.

Bad light arrived with England 248 for 9 after 56 overs.

Pakistan therefore left the field one wicket short of closing the innings.

England walked off knowing their final pair had another opportunity on Day 2 to push toward 260 or beyond.

Why 248/9 Is Harder to Judge Than It Looks

A score of 248 for 9 usually suggests the bowling side enjoyed the better day.

Context complicates that conclusion at Lord’s.

England were 36 for 3.

They were 77 for 4.

They were 120 for 5.

Later, they were 222 for 8.

Every one of those positions gave Pakistan a realistic chance to dismiss England considerably below 250.

Instead, Cox, Smith and Atkinson repeatedly extended the innings.

Pakistan should be pleased with nine wickets. They may also feel they allowed England 30 to 50 more runs than the morning situation demanded.

England will know 248 is not an imposing first-innings score. They will also know it could have been much worse.

The Day’s Most Important Sequence Came Before Lunch

Most coverage will understandably focus on the half-centuries and Abbas’ four wickets.

The overlooked detail is how Pakistan changed the strategic shape of the match before England had time to settle.

Gay fell at 21.

Duckett followed at 26.

Root departed at 36.

Brook was gone at 77.

That meant England’s two most established attacking batters, Root and Brook, contributed only 19 runs between them.

Pakistan removed the two players most capable of turning a difficult morning into a rapid 150 for 3.

Cox and Smith recovered, but they did so from a position already created by Abbas and Mohammad Ali.

That matters because Pakistan’s greatest failure at Headingley was their inability to control England for long enough stretches.

The opening morning at Lord’s showed they can still do it.

England’s Recovery Also Exposed Pakistan’s Remaining Problem

Taking wickets was not Pakistan’s only task.

They needed to prevent England scoring freely between those wickets.

That part remains unfinished.

England’s run rate at stumps was 4.42.

Pakistan also conceded 22 extras, including 10 no-balls.

Khurram Shahzad took Cox’s crucial wicket but conceded more than five runs per over.

England therefore remained capable of moving the game forward even while losing wickets.

That becomes important if Pakistan’s batting struggles again.

At Headingley, Pakistan were dismissed for 171 and 135. The Sports Encounter’s England-Pakistan Test series preview identified first-innings totals above 300 as one of Pakistan’s central requirements if they wanted to compete across the series.

Nothing about Day 1 changes that.

Pakistan’s bowlers have given their batters a route back into the series.

The batting now has to use it.

Day 2 Begins With a Very Simple Pakistan Objective

Pakistan need one wicket.

They should want it quickly.

Atkinson has already shown that England’s total can continue growing rapidly if Pakistan spend too long searching for the final breakthrough.

Every additional 15 or 20 runs changes the pressure on Imam-ul-Haq, Azan Awais, Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique and Babar when Pakistan begin their reply.

If Pakistan dismiss England before 260, the first innings becomes a realistic opportunity to take control.

If England somehow push beyond 280, the character of the day changes.

That is the first battle on Friday morning.

Pakistan’s Batting Will Decide Whether Day 1 Was Actually Good

Pakistan’s bowlers have already done enough to keep the Test alive.

The batting lineup now carries the harder responsibility.

Babar’s return gives Pakistan back their most accomplished batter and captain, while the presence of Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan gives the middle order more stability than Pakistan had at Headingley.

However, England’s attack contains Jofra Archer, Ollie Robinson, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson.

Lord’s conditions may continue helping seam movement.

Pakistan therefore cannot assume that dismissing England below 260 automatically puts them ahead.

The Sports Encounter’s earlier coverage of Babar’s injury emphasized that Pakistan needed more than the return of one batter to repair their Test structure.

That remains true now.

Babar can strengthen the batting order.

He cannot build every partnership himself.

England Still Have the Series Advantage

England lead the three-match series 1-0 after winning at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs.

The ICC confirmed that the result also strengthened England’s position in the ongoing World Test Championship, while Pakistan entered Lord’s under growing pressure after another heavy away defeat.

The Sports Encounter’s first-Test preview identified England’s seam attack and Pakistan’s weakened batting structure as potentially decisive factors at Headingley.

Both became major parts of the result.

Lord’s has begun differently.

Pakistan have already made England work much harder for their first-innings runs.

Day 1 Verdict: Shared Honors, but Pakistan Created the Better Opportunity

England can reasonably claim satisfaction from reaching 248 after losing four wickets for 77.

Pakistan can reasonably claim satisfaction from taking nine wickets on a day shortened by bad light.

The scoreboard therefore supports the idea of shared honors.

The opportunity, however, belongs slightly more to Pakistan.

They chose to bowl and nearly completed England’s innings within 56 overs.

Abbas rediscovered his influence in English conditions. Mohammad Ali gave the attack support. Babar’s return immediately coincided with a more competitive Pakistan performance.

England’s resistance means none of that guarantees control.

Cox survived when the innings was unstable. Smith accelerated when Pakistan threatened to dominate. Atkinson ensured the tail remained dangerous.

The match is still open because both sides repeatedly answered the other.

Pakistan’s first answer came with Abbas.

England’s came through Cox and Smith.

Day 2 now asks the question Pakistan failed to answer at Headingley: can their batting turn a good bowling performance into an actual advantage?

Frequently Asked Questions

What was England’s score at stumps on Day 1 of the second Test against Pakistan?

England finished Day 1 on 248 for 9 from 56 overs at Lord’s after bad light brought play to an early close.

Who took the most wickets for Pakistan on Day 1 at Lord’s?

Mohammad Abbas was Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker with 4 for 56 from 15 overs.

How many wickets did Mohammad Ali take?

Mohammad Ali took 3 for 67 from 17 overs, dismissing Harry Brook, Jamie Smith and Ollie Robinson.

Who scored half-centuries for England?

Jordan Cox scored 55 from 105 balls, while Jamie Smith made 61 from 80 deliveries.

What did Gus Atkinson score on Day 1?

Gus Atkinson finished unbeaten on 34 from 27 balls after a late counterattack helped England reach 248.

Why did play end early at Lord’s?

Play was abandoned for the day because of bad light after England reached 248 for 9 in 56 overs.

Did Babar Azam captain Pakistan at Lord’s?

Yes. Babar Azam returned from his hand injury and resumed the Pakistan Test captaincy after missing the first Test at Headingley.

Who captained Pakistan in the first Test against England?

Salman Ali Agha captained Pakistan at Headingley while Babar Azam was unavailable through injury.

What catch did Salman Ali Agha take at Lord’s?

Salman appeared as a substitute fielder and took an excellent catch to dismiss Jordan Cox for 55 off the bowling of Khurram Shahzad.

What is the England vs Pakistan Test series score?

England lead the three-match series 1-0 after winning the opening Test at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs.