In the first Test at Headingley, England defeated Pakistan by a crushing innings and 103 runs, finishing the game before lunch on the third day despite losing more than half a day of play due to rain. Pakistan had a lot of questions about their batting and general strategy for the series after the one-sided match, which lasted only three days.
After Pakistan’s crushing first-Test loss at Headingley, former England captain Michael Vaughan has issued a warning, saying he “really fears” for a team that appeared more hesitant than any Pakistan team he had ever seen.
During BBC Test Match Special said, “They’ve been absolutely blown away. They’ve been hammered. I’ve never seen them look so timid. The tactical side wasn’t there. The skill level and the class between the sides, Pakistan look a long way short. I look at this side and feel quite sad watching them this week. I’ve seen many Pakistan sides play and this side just seem to be lacking all that spirit and fight we’ve become accustomed to seeing. I really fear for Pakistan.”
Joe Root’s return as England’s permanent Test captain got off to a perfect start thanks to the outcome. After Ben Stokes resigned as captain and Brendon McCullum was removed from his red-ball coaching responsibilities following a series loss to New Zealand eight weeks prior, Root assumed leadership of English cricket.
In the second innings, Josh Tongue and Ollie Robinson each got three wickets, and Jofra Archer finished with 3-50 to seal England’s seamers’ dominant performance. Pakistan’s batting never posed a danger to the chase. Imam-ul-Haq failed to score a run for the second time in the game, while Mohammad Rizwan led the score with just 41. Speaking on BBC Test Match Special, Vaughan expressed a pessimistic appraisal of the gap between the teams.
