Sparkling Brook builds England lead over Pakistan

By

Cricket Correspondent astatine Headingley

First Rothesay Test, Headingley (day 2 of five)

Pakistan 171 each out: Shafique 61; Tongue 5-46, Robinson 5-51

England 366-8: Brook 91, Cox 73, Root 66; Usman 5-92

England are 195 runs ahead

Scorecard

Harry Brook sparkled successful the Headingley gloom to physique England's commanding pb implicit Pakistan connected a shortened 2nd time of the archetypal Test.

Brook, overlooked for the Test captaincy, reinforced however important helium volition beryllium to England's caller epoch nether Joe Root with a superb 91.

The vice-captain was crucially dropped connected 1 and the reprieve allowed him to instrumentality England to 366-8, 195 ahead.

A basal of 120 with Dan Lawrence, who marked his callback with 51, came aft Root and Jordan Cox some missed retired connected landmark centuries.

Root looked acceptable to denote the opening of his 2nd spell arsenic skipper with a ton, portion Cox was connected people for a maiden hundred.

But their third-wicket concern of 150 was ended erstwhile the awesome Cox feathered down disconnected the left-arm rotation of Ali Usman for 73.

Four balls later, Root was near aggravated with himself by playing crossed the enactment to seamer Khurram Shahzad to beryllium lbw for 66.

Nevertheless, Brook ensured England utilized the play imaginable connected a damp, dank time successful Leeds to cement their advantage.

Morning rainfall delayed the enactment until 14:45 BST. The clouds and floodlights should person fixed Pakistan the conditions to get backmost into the match. Instead, they could beryllium beaten wrong 3 days.

After England dismissed Pakistan for 171 and past moved to 112-2 by the extremity of the opening day, it seemed apt that their biggest obstruction to important advancement connected Thursday would beryllium the weather.

And the elements were a situation for each concerned. Umpire Allahuddien Paleker officiated successful gloves, portion England's backroom unit huddled connected the dressing country balcony successful heavy coats.

The Pakistan seamers, ideally suited to the conditions, were presented with a aureate opportunity. Instead, England were capable to people astatine a Bazball-like complaint of 4.5 runs per over, simply by tucking into the atrocious balls connected offer.

Perhaps Pakistan would person made further inroads had skipper Salman Ali Agha held Brook astatine 2nd gaffe disconnected Shahzad.

Had Brook been dismissed, England would person mislaid 3 wickets for 7 runs. The people was 205-4 astatine the time, the hosts' pb 34, with lone wicketkeeper Jamie Smith to travel earlier the bowlers.

Thanks to the let-off, Brook treated his location assemblage to strokeplay befitting his presumption arsenic the number-one ranked batter successful the world.

For some, Brook epitomised everything that was incorrect with the Bazball epoch for his mistakes some connected and disconnected the field. This could person been his archetypal Test arsenic captain.

With oregon without the armband, helium volition beryllium important to England's contiguous prospects of success.

Speaking to BBC Sport past week, Brook acknowledged helium had fixed immoderate supporters origin for frustration. He admitted helium is not the finished nonfiction arsenic a Test batter and promised to enactment hard to recognise the close situations to unfurl his array of strokes.

The driblet was an indeterminate stroke, a limp poke astatine Shahzad. After that, Brook played the concern beautifully.

He has a stellar grounds against Pakistan, and the tourists' onslaught did not person the weapons to occupation him – a program for Mohammad Ali to vessel 78mph bouncers was dismissed with a savage propulsion for four.

It was not each brawn for Brook, who regularly played deft guides to 3rd man. A period was determination for the taking, lone for a fatal mistake successful the last fractional an hr earlier the close.

Trying to whip Usman into the limb side, Brook missed and was bowled. It is the 2nd clip successful arsenic galore Tests helium has been dismissed successful the 90s connected his location ground, pursuing a 99 against India present past year.

While Brook's nonaccomplishment to registry a ton is not a setback successful the discourse of his career, Cox and Lawrence volition bespeak connected the opportunities they had to marque scores that would assistance found them successful this England side.

Injuries person meant Cox has had to hold for a sustained tally successful the team, with a accidental astatine fig 3 coming due to the fact that of Jacob Bethell's genu problem. Lawrence is getting his 4th spell astatine Test cricket, filling the void near by the retired Ben Stokes.

With Bethell acceptable to travel backmost erstwhile acceptable and the injured Sam Curran identified arsenic a imaginable Stokes replacement, Cox and Lawrence person this bid to marque beingness tricky for the selectors. These innings, though some individually impressive, were not capable to marque an irresistible case. Both men volition request more.

From 23 not retired overnight, Cox returned with the calmness helium showed connected Wednesday. He struck 3 fours successful a azygous Shahzad implicit and moved to his archetypal Test half-century by flicking Mohammad Abbas good for four.

Cox should person been caught connected 57 erstwhile helium patted backmost to Shahzad. Perhaps the driblet disrupted his concentration, due to the fact that the wicket-taking transportation from Usman was innocuous. Cox simply followed 1 the left-armer got to crook and edged to the wicketkeeper.

Lawrence played on-drives disconnected the seamers and sweeps disconnected the spinners. One expanse excessively galore astatine Usman resulted successful a skied top-edge. After Usman removed Brook, helium aboriginal accounted for Gus Atkinson and Ollie Robinson successful successive balls for his maiden Test five-wicket haul.