First Test: Cox, Root half-centuries give England lead before Pakistan fight back

First Test: Cox, Root half-centuries offer England lead before Pakistan fight back.

Key points

• At the conclusion of the pulsating session, the home side were well-placed at 239/4, leading by 68 runs, with Dan Lawrence and Harry Brook unbeaten on 22 and 15, respectively.
• Earlier, Pakistan were bowled out for 171 in 48.1 overs, with England pacers Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue claiming five wickets apiece.
• Pakistan resumed at 150/7 after the interval but continued only 21 runs before losing their final three wickets and being bowled out for 171 in 48.1 overs.
• Tailenders Khurram Shahzad and Abbas continued 12 runs for the 10th wicket before Robinson dismissed Shahzad for 14 to complete his fifth five-wicket haul in Test cricket.
• While Shafique top-scored for Pakistan with a fighting 61 off 104 deliveries, including eight fours, shakeel managed five off 25 balls.

First Test: Cox, Root half-centuries offer England lead before Pakistan fight back. At tea break, home side well-placed at 239/4, leading by 68 runs.

LEEDS: Jordan Cox and captain Joe Root both struck half-centuries to push England into the lead on day two of the first Test at Headingley on Thursday, before Pakistan hit back through Ali Usman and Khurram Shahzad to remove both batters ahead of the tea break.

After the opening session was washed out due to persistent rain here, England resumed their first innings in response to Pakistan's 171 all out after the lunch break through Cox and Root. This person continued to dominate the visitors' bowling attack.

Cox and Root, consequently, stretched their overnight third-wicket partnership to a mammoth 150, during which they both brought up their respective half-centuries.

Left-arm spinner Usman eventually broke the threatening stand by getting Cox caught behind in the 44th over. The 25-year-old remained the top-scorer for England with a 100-ball 73, studded with 14 boundaries.

Joe Root followed suit in the next over, falling victim to Shahzad, and walked back after scoring 66 off 112 deliveries with the support of 10 fours, resulting in England slipping down to 202/4.

After the back-to-back setbacks, Lawrence joined top-ranked Test batter Brook in the middle, and the duo batted sensibly to put together an unbeaten 37-run partnership, ensuring England head into the break without enduring further setbacks.

For Pakistan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Usman and Shahzad have thus far taken one wicket apiece in the first innings.

Pakistan suffered an early setback when opener Azan Awais was dismissed by Robinson off the first ball of the match after being given out lbw.

For context, the visitors lost another wicket in the fifth over when Robinson removed former captain Shan Masood for five off 20 balls, leaving Pakistan struggling at 6/2.

Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique then indicated resilience, putting together a 17-run partnership before rain brought play to a halt.

When the second session began, the experienced Imam and in-form Shafique resumed Pakistan's innings and produced a crucial 91-run partnership for the third wicket.

Tongue eventually broke the threatening stand in the 29th over by dismissing Imam for 42 off 74 balls, with the opener falling eight runs short of his half-century after hitting six fours.

Shafique then continued 20 runs with Saud Shakeel before Robinson struck twice in successive overs to dismiss both batters.

After the back-to-back dismissals, Mohammad Rizwan and stand-in captain Salman Ali Agha went on 32 runs for the sixth wicket before Tongue dismissed Salman for 21 in the final over of the session.

Tongue struck again off the after delivery, trapping Ali Usman lbw for a duck to reduce Pakistan to 150/7.

Tongue created an immediate impact after the break, dismissing Pakistan's last recognised batter Rizwan for 12 in the second over of the final session to expose the tail.

Tongue then wrapped up the innings in the after over, bowling Abbas for two to claim his fourth five-wicket haul in Tests.

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For now, first Test: Cox, Root half-centuries give England lead before Pakistan fight back remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.