England have taken a firm grip on the opening England Pakistan Test match at Headingley, Leeds, after half-centuries from captain Joe Root and rookie Jordan Cox powered the hosts into a commanding first-innings lead over Pakistan. The pair added 150 runs together before both fell in quick succession, yet England’s middle order carried the momentum forward, leaving Pakistan chasing the game early in the three-match series opener. This England Pakistan Test match marks the start of a three-Test series forming part of the 2025–27 ICC World Test Championship cycle, and it also marks Root’s return as England’s full-time Test captain.
Background
Pakistan arrived in England for a three-match Test series running from August 19 to September 13, 2026, with the opening fixture staged at Headingley in Leeds from August 19 to 23. The tour continues with a second Test at Lord’s in London from August 27 to 31, before concluding with the third and final Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham from September 9 to 13. The series carries significant weight for both sides in the ongoing 2025–27 World Test Championship cycle, with both teams looking to boost their standing in the points table. This match also carries symbolic significance for England. It marks the beginning of a new era for the side following the appointment of Stephen Fleming as head coach, alongside Joe Root’s return to the full-time Test captaincy. Pakistan, meanwhile, are led by veteran batter Babar Azam, who returned to the captaincy for this tour after several years away from the role, having last led the side in a Test against Sri Lanka back in 2023. For Pakistan, this tour also represents their first Test series in England since 2020, adding extra context to a contest already billed as a fresh start for both teams.
Details
How the first Test has unfolded
Pakistan were put in to bat first at Headingley and were bowled out for 171 in their first innings, with Abdullah Shafique top-scoring with 61 and Imam-ul-Haq contributing 42. England’s bowling attack dominated from the outset, with Josh Tongue and Ollie Robinson both claiming five-wicket hauls, finishing with figures of 5-46 and 5-51 respectively as Pakistan’s innings folded inside 49 overs. Cox, playing an audition of sorts in the number three position, made a composed 73 off 100 deliveries before edging a delivery from spinner Ali Usman through to wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, departing with the score on 198 for three. Root, batting patiently in his first innings back as full-time captain, fell for 66 off 112 balls just four balls later, trapped lbw by Khurram Shahzad after a delivery jagged back sharply and struck him below the knee roll. Root opted to review the decision, but ball-tracking technology confirmed the ball would have gone on to hit all three stumps, and the appeal was upheld.
The back-to-back dismissals briefly opened the door for Pakistan, but England’s middle order responded firmly. Harry Brook and Dan Lawrence steadied the innings and batted through to tea unbeaten, with Brook surviving an early let-off when Salman Agha grassed a sharp chance at second slip. Brook went on to make 91 off 93 balls, narrowly missing out on what would have been a home century at Headingley for the second year running, having also fallen agonisingly short against India at the same ground the previous summer. He was eventually bowled by an excellent delivery from Usman. Lawrence contributed a composed 51 as England closed out the day on 366 for eight, extending their first-innings lead to 195 runs over Pakistan. Rain has affected proceedings on more than one occasion during the match, with delayed starts disrupting the flow of play on both day one and day two, though it has not been enough to prevent England from asserting clear control over the contest heading into the remaining days of the Test.
Quotes
Reflecting on the highs and lows of a challenging day in the field, Pakistan’s discipline was tested by a series of dropped opportunities. Commentary from the day highlighted how the tourists missed key chances in the field, with analysts noting that Pakistan’s frequent appeals for leg-before decisions, many of which were turned down, appeared to distract the fielding side from more clear-cut opportunities to remove England’s set batters. On the milestone of Root’s continued excellence for England, observers have pointed to his composed, low-risk approach in his first innings back in the captaincy as a key reason England were able to recover from early jolts and build a matchwinning total.
Impact
The result of this opening Test carries broader implications beyond bragging rights. Both England and Pakistan currently sit toward the lower end of the World Test Championship standings for the 2025–27 cycle, meaning victory in this series carries real weight for each side’s qualification hopes for the next WTC final. For England specifically, a strong start under the new pairing of head coach Stephen Fleming and returning captain Joe Root would help settle a Test side that has undergone significant transition in personnel and leadership over the past year. For Pakistan, a solid showing in English conditions, historically difficult for visiting sides from the subcontinent, would mark a meaningful statement ahead of a busy home season that also includes a white-ball tri-series against England and Sri Lanka later in the year. The series has also drawn strong regional interest given the historic rivalry between the two nations, with broadcasters across South Asia carrying extensive live coverage of every session.
Conclusion
With England holding a commanding 195-run first-innings lead and the momentum firmly in their favour, the remaining days of the Headingley Test promise to be pivotal for both sides. Pakistan will need a substantial fightback with both bat and ball to avoid falling 1-0 behind before the series moves to Lord’s on August 27. England, meanwhile, will look to press home their advantage and set the tone early for what is shaping up to be a closely watched three-match series between two teams eager to reassert themselves on the world stage.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to watch England vs Pakistan?
Coverage of the England Pakistan Test match series is being carried live by Sky Sports Cricket in the United Kingdom, offering ball-by-ball broadcast coverage across all three Tests at Headingley, Lord’s and Edgbaston. For viewers in Pakistan and other parts of South Asia, the series is available through streaming platforms such as Tamasha and Tapmad, alongside traditional television coverage on PTV Sports for audiences who prefer a cable or satellite connection. Viewers in other regions should check their local broadcaster listings, as international rights for ICC World Test Championship matches vary by country. All three Tests in this series begin play at 11:00 AM local UK time each day.
What is the schedule for England vs India in 2026?
England and India did not play a men’s Test series in 2026. Instead, India’s men’s tour of England in July 2026 was a white-ball-only assignment, consisting of five T20 Internationals played across venues including Chester-le-Street, Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol and Southampton, followed by a three-match ODI series held at Birmingham, Cardiff and Lord’s. Separately, England and India did make cricketing history in 2026 with the first-ever women’s Test match staged at Lord’s, played from July 10 to 13, following the completion of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup held in England and Wales earlier that summer. No men’s red-ball fixtures between the two nations are currently scheduled until later stages of the 2025–27 World Test Championship cycle.
When did England start playing Test cricket?
England is one of the founding nations of Test cricket, having played in the very first official Test match in history against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 1877. That inaugural contest, now regarded as the birth of Test cricket as a format, was won by Australia by 45 runs. Since that historic beginning, England have gone on to play well over a thousand Test matches, and the fixture against Australia remains one of the sport’s oldest and most storied rivalries, known today as The Ashes. England’s Test history also includes long-standing rivalries against other founding cricketing nations, including Pakistan, with the two sides having faced off in Test cricket since Pakistan’s earliest tours of England in the 1950s.
