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195-run lead! Joe Root's England leave Pakistan on the ropes at Headingley after day 2

Times of India Published Aug 21, 2026 Reviewed Aug 21, 2026 ✓ Reviewed by citations.press editors

England finished Day 2 on 366 runs for 8 wickets and took a first‑innings lead of 195 runs at Headingley.

366 runs · England8 wickets · England195 runs · England

Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox and Dan Lawrence each scored a half‑century after England resumed from 112/2.

4 half-centuries · England

Harry Brook scored 91 runs before being dismissed by left‑arm spinner Ali Usman.

91 runs · Harry Brook

Harry Brook hit 13 fours during his innings.

13 fours · Harry Brook

Ali Usman finished with five wickets for 92 runs, his first five‑wicket haul in Test cricket.

5 wickets · Ali Usman92 runs · Ali Usman

Root and Cox added 150 runs for the third wicket after play resumed.

150 runs · England

Jordan Cox scored 73 runs in his second Test.

73 runs · Jordan Cox

Joe Root scored 66 runs.

66 runs · Joe Root

Joe Root has scored more than 14,000 Test runs in his career.

more than 14000 runs · Joe Root

Joe Root reached his 109th Test fifty.

109 fifties · Joe Root

England scored at a rate of 4.46 runs per over.

4.46 runs per over · England

Wicketkeeper Jamie Smith was unbeaten on 16 at stumps.

16 runs · Jamie Smith

England will begin Day 3 with a 195-run lead and two wickets in hand.

195 runs · England2 wickets · England

England took control of the first Test against Pakistan on Thursday, finishing Day 2 on 366/8 and taking a first-innings lead of 195 runs at Headingley.Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox and Dan Lawrence all scored half-centuries after England resumed from 112/2. Rain delayed the start of play by nearly four hours, but England's batters made the most of the time available.Harry Brook, the world's No. 1 Test batter, came closest to a century.

Playing on his home ground, he scored 91 before left-arm spinner Ali Usman bowled him. Brook hit 13 fours during his innings. Usman finished with 5/92, the first five-wicket haul of his Test career.Brook had an early escape after being dropped on one by stand-in Pakistan captain Salman Agha at second slip.

He made Pakistan pay before being dismissed with nine runs left for a hundred.Root and Cox added 150 runs for the third wicket after play resumed. Cox scored 73 in just his second Test, while Root made 66.Cox reached his first Test fifty before Root brought up the 109th fifty of his Test career. Root, who has scored more than 14,000 Test runs, was later trapped lbw by Khurram Shahzad after missing a straight delivery.

He reviewed the decision, but replays showed the ball was hitting middle stump.Cox also missed out on a bigger score. He was dropped on 57 by Khurram Shahzad in a caught-and-bowled chance before edging Ali Usman behind.Dan Lawrence, playing his first Test in two years, added 51 runs in the middle order.

England scored at 4.46 runs per over.Pakistan's bowling and fielding struggled for long periods after the visitors were dismissed for 171 on the opening day.At stumps, wicketkeeper Jamie Smith was unbeaten on 16, while Jofra Archer was yet to score. England will begin Day 3 with a 195-run lead and two wickets in hand.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates.

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