Sharp Pakistan catch England cold
It is 23 years since England last lost the first Test of a home summer, all the way back in 1995 against the West Indies, and 22 since they lost a home series against Pakistan. At Lord’s, a fine first-day performance from Pakistan gave them the hope that they can break both hoodoos as they bowled England out for 184 before progressing relatively serenely, the loss of Imam-ul-Haq aside, to 50/1.
With the ball, Pakistan, and two in particular, were exceptional. Hasan Ali had the greatest time of his career here last summer, when he was Player of the Tournament during Pakistan’s spectacular Champions Trophy campaign, but had played just two Tests months apart before this match. Rahat Ali’s wicketless Test against Ireland provided Hasan an opening, and his 4/ 51 here, while perhaps not the equal of his Champions Trophy feats as pieces of sporting theatre, did show that he can have sustained success with red ball as well as white. He also showed that his exuberant celebrations can be transferred between formats as well.
Mohammad Abbas was the pick of the bowlers, although he had less to prove. Hasan and Mohammad Amir are the members of Pakistan’s attacks you’d recognise, for a couple of reasons – their inspiring stories, their penchant for the unplayable, their dashing looks – but no bowler has been as dependable for Pakistan as Abbas over the last year or so. His 4/23 brought his record since his debut in April 2017 to 36 wickets in seven Tests at an average of 17.33.
Having grafted his way into the side through years of toil in the Pakistan domestic circuit – from the start of the 2014/15 season to his Test debut he took 170 first-class wickets at an average of 16.22 – here he displayed all the nous of an experienced opening bowler, using swing, seam, and the Lord’s slope excellently.
Though he was outshone overall, Mohammad Amir claimed the delivery of the day, nipping one past Alastair Cook’s outside edge to bowl England’s opener for a well-made 70. He had some competition too. Mohammad Abbas bowled Mark Stoneman, who has a high score of 29 in 10 innings since the start of the summer, with a beauty, and Faheem Ashraf’s castling of Jonny Bairstow, who had looked comfortable in his new home at No.5, also deserved a mention. That all three clipped the outside of the top of off stump showed the margins of Test cricket.
Catching was also a point of difference between the sides. Asad Shafiq held a chance at slip off Jos Buttler which flew off the bat, while Mohammad Amir, having comically misfielded moments before – he sprinted all the way to the boundary, only to completely miss the ball as he stooped to scoop it back – ran round and dove from mid-on to bring an end to the England innings. Meanwhile, Pakistan could have been two down had Ben Stokes grasped a one-handed chance at third slip, or not dived at all, with the ball headed straight to Dawid Malan before his own intervention.
That wasn’t England’s only act of charity. Joe Root was the most culpable for his dismissal, wafting a drive at a swinging wide ball, while Bairstow’s push didn’t give enough credit to a good delivery. Jos Buttler’s hard-handed drive was exactly the shot you’d expect of someone who had been playing only in the IPL in the lead-up to a Test match, recalled based on his form in that competition, and given licence to attack. He was caught at second slip, a fielding position rarely seen in the shortest format.
Buttler wasn’t the only one who might have come into this game cold. His Rajasthan Royals teammate Ben Stokes has also just returned from the IPL, while enforced breaks, though much-needed after a tough winter, also took game time from Cook, Malan, Root, and Bairstow.
Pakistan meanwhile, have had three first-class games and a hard-fought Test match against Ireland to ready themselves for this contest, and it showed. In an era when Test series warm-ups have often been the first casualties of a packed schedule, Pakistan’s performance showed their value. England will need to find their feet quickly if they are to avoid making the wrong sort of history.