The No. 4 ranked Test bowler operated with excellent control despite the Lord’s pitch not offering a great deal of turn and was rewarded with the wickets of Root, James Vince and Gary Ballance, whose first innings since being recalled to the England Test XI was short-lived.
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He was twice let down by his fielders, once by Hafeez and again by Sarfraz, both dropping simple edges off Cook, and the relief was painted on his face when the wicket fell with his score in two digits – 81 – and not three.
Earlier Woakes and Broad had finished off the Pakistan innings, with two wickets apiece, including that of Misbah-ul-Haq for 114, Woakes, comfortably England’s best bowler, ending with well-deserved figures of six for 60. Tendulkar was 31 years, 10 months and 20 days old when he scored his 10,000th run in a Test match against Pakistan at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in 2005. When he batted there was general indiference. Me and [his fellow not out overnight batsman] Stuart Broad have a bit of a job in the morning.
Soon the focus was on his bowling, and after new-ball partner Rahat Ali had Hales caught in the slips, he should have had his first wicket back in England.
“If Root had hit it for four or six we’d have been clapping on the balcony”.
The second time English captain given life on 55, was by wicket keeper Sarfraz Ahmed, who shelled a rather easy catch, trying to make it look hard.
Cook, England’s most accomplished player of spin, was coping well with Yasir, who nearly spins himself off his feet in his effort to put revolutions on the ball. But Yasir turned the tide after lunch when he had Root carelessly holing out off a miscued sweep. Hitherto Vince has done little to convince that he is a Test batsman, and did nothing to alter that view now, although it was a clever set-up by Yasir that led to his lbw dismissal, despite a review. Only the occasional delivery spun but Yasir, like an experienced engineer calibrating a favourite piece of machinery, twiddled away at the control panel, imparting drift and subtle changes of pace to leave England scratching their heads at 193 for 6.
Amir lost Misbah quickly, undone at the end of his fine 199-ball innings when Broad bowled him on the defence – and after a spirited last-wicket stand with Yasir, it was time finally for the main event. Woakes now joined Moeen Ali, the pair batting comfortably enough, adding 39. It was the most marginal of decisions, the two “umpire’s calls” scarcely offering justification.
Amir, who served a five-year ban and was given a jail sentence for his part in the spot-fixing row, inside edged his first ball in Test cricket in six years, from Broad, for four.
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But Misbah added just four runs to his overnight score, with Pakistan losing three wickets for six runs in eight balls as the quick and accurate Woakes did the bulk of the damage.
