Batters miss chance to take pole in bat-off

Collectively, England can be pleased with their work with the bat. But two in particular may rue not taking the chance to cash in when centuries were as there for the taking as they can be in Test cricket. Jordan Cox had already had a life when he edged Ali Usman to slip, and looked so distraught he pointlessly took a review with him. Dan Lawrence had just eased past fifty in his first Test in two years when he stuck one up in the air. He has not made a Test hundred, and has already felt the pain of letting one go begging, having fallen for 91 on a flat Barbados track in 2022. Such chances are hard won.

Particularly so now, with Stephen Fleming due to take charge in the winter, and facing questions over how to balance his team and with whom. When Jacob Bethell returns and Sam Curran is back fit, there will be a conundrum. Cox and Lawrence helped England win the game, but missed out on winning their place for the foreseeable. BG

Four quicks can work

Fielding four quicks without a specialist spinner is a stop-gap to paper of Ben Stokes' absence in favourable conditions at a ground which suits that balance. However, the execution from England’s pace attack showed that strategy works when used correctly. Robinson was the star, following up his absence from the second two New Zealand Tests with yet another reminder of why he’s England’s best new ball Test bowler. Rather than pace, it’s Robinson’s pinpoint line and length that’s the point of difference in this attack, with Archer and Tongue’s fire, combined with Atkinson’s miserlyness, adding up to a well structured pack. There will be scenarios and conditions where it won’t work, and England will need to be flexible. But, this was the perfect setting to show how strong this particular combination can be. KW

Root captaincy re-debut goes well

While the broader picture of what Root’s second act will have to wait, there were nuggets scattered throughout this Test which showed some detail. After his one off at The Oval, where he half committed to a version of Bazball which saw England thumped by New Zealand, albeit in challenging circumstances, he was sharper at Headingley.

The plan concocted to put himself at leg slip to draw in Azan Awais was perfectly executed, and he was decisive in whipping Archer out of the attack after two overs when he didn’t keep up the pressure on day one. There are plenty of questions still to answer, and the one conclusive learning we have from this game is that England will face much tougher challenges. But this series is a chance for Root to get his feet back under the table before the hard work starts. At Headingley, he earned the right to stretch his legs a little. KW

Snubbed Brook knuckles down

A year ago, Harry Brook made 99 at Headingley, missing a Test ton on his home ground by one run. He survived a scare early, a Jasprit Bumrah no-ball reprieving him on the second innings. Then he played the kind of innings only he can play, frantic, thrilling, invaluable. He made two hundreds in the series as well as the 99 and still left England fans with heads in hands, such is the Brook way.

Now, overlooked as Ben Stokes’ replacement as Test captain, he played an innings that bore several hallmark of his last Headingley effort, but which also felt different. There was another early chance, an edge Salman Ali Agha’s nail in the slips. The scoring rate remained rapid, hovering at a run a ball throughout. He couldn’t quite get that hundred, and will have to wait until 2029 to do so. But there was an extra hint of responsibility. Early boundaries came almost exclusively behind square, tucked down leg or glided away. It was only when well past fifty that the true aggression came out, flat-batting down the ground to signal a change of intent. With the keeper up, he looked neither restrained nor frustrated. This was as close to a normal Test innings as you can get from Brook, and he was still by a distance the best player on show. BG

Limit to learnings due to Pakistan failings

The ultimate takeaway from this game is that every one of the above learnings is caveated by how diabolically bad Pakistan were. While plenty could be picked apart from both of their batting collapses and how toothless their bowling attack appeared for large swathes of the game, the true reflection of their current state can be seen in the multiple incidents of lacking game awareness. Beyond the dropped catches, boundaries conceded from stopping balls with feet, Mohammad Rizwan’s decision to take a single off the first ball of the over, seven wickets down with two genuine rabbits to come, was the most heinous failing of the lot. Much will be dissected over the state of Pakistani cricket in the coming weeks, and blame cannot fall entirely at the feet of the players on the field. Those are for stopping cricket balls with, anyway. KW

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