England Crush Pakistan at Headingley as Root's Return Brings Instant Reward

England took a 1-0 lead in their three-match Test series against Pakistan with a dominant win at Headingley, Joe Root's first match back as captain ending in his 27th victory in the role — a record among Englishmen The Guardian.

The win was only England's third in their last 11 Tests, a stretch that included Ben Stokes retiring as captain and Brendon McCullum being sacked as head coach before this series began BBC Sport. Root, who previously led the side between 2017 and 2022, was handed the job again by the England and Wales Cricket Board for the Rothesay series against Pakistan ECB.

A Test match is cricket's longest format, played over up to five days with each team batting twice. At Headingley, England needed only a fraction of that time to seize control.

Pakistan were bowled out for 171 in their first innings and 135 in their second. England's reply of 409 gave them a first-innings lead of 238 — the kind of margin that, in Test cricket, usually settles the match BBC Sport.

Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue did the damage with the ball. Robinson took a career-best match haul of 8-80, including 5-51 in Pakistan's first innings. Tongue matched him almost wicket for wicket, returning match figures of 8-89 — 5-46 in the first innings, then three wickets in two overs after lunch on day three to snuff out any resistance Reuters; BBC Sport.

Pakistan's batting offered little. Abdullah Shafique top-scored with 61 in the first innings; Mohammad Rizwan's 41 was the best they could muster second time around. Jofra Archer, playing his first Test series in years, removed Imam-ul-Haq from the 11th delivery of the second innings to set the tone for another collapse BBC Sport.

England's batting was built on contributions throughout the order. Harry Brook fell nine short of a century with 91, continuing a remarkable run of success against Pakistan. Jordan Cox made 73 and Root himself chipped in with 66 Reuters; BBC Sport. Pakistan's bowler Usman took 5-95 in the England innings, the one bright spot for the tourists.

For fans, this result matters beyond a single match. England had been sliding, with eight defeats in ten Tests before this week. A new captain and a new coaching setup were meant to stop the rot, and Headingley offered the first evidence that they might. Root now has more wins as England Test captain than anyone who has held the post.

The second Test begins at Lord's on Thursday, with the series then concluding at Edgbaston ECB. Pakistan need a response quickly. England need to show this was a start, not a one-off.