England were clinical but Pakistan were not in the 1st test of the series. Three days at Headingley told a brutal story. The first Test is over and the verdict was emphatic. But a Test series is not decided in one match. England vs Pakistan 2nd Test Lord’s can become response for Pakistan. Whether they use it wisely depends entirely on whether the right lessons were learned from the ruins of a Headingley innings defeat.
What Happened at Headingley in 1st Test
England 366 for 8 beat Pakistan 171 and 135 by an innings and 103 runs. Josh Tongue took five for 46 in the first innings. Ollie Robinson took five for 51. They shared the bowling equally and shared the damage just as completely.
Pakistan were bowled out for 171 in the first innings. They were bowled out for 135 in the second. That is a combined total of 306 runs across two innings. England posted 366 for 8. Ali Usman’s five for 92 was Pakistan’s only genuine highlight across three days. England won before tea on Day 3.
What Went Wrong for Pakistan at Headingley
Three problems defined Pakistan’s Headingley performance. Their top order repeatedly failed against short-pitched bowling and inswing. Their middle order had no answers for Tongue bowling from round the wicket. Their bowlers could not create consistent pressure in English conditions.
Harry Brook scored 91 and Jordan Cox made 73. Captain Joe Root scored 66 and equalled Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 68 Test half-centuries. Dan Lawrence added 51. England’s batting was deep and purposeful. Pakistan’s bowling was accurate in patches but could not maintain the relentless pressure required to bowl England out cheaply in an overseas Test.
What Lord’s Offers Pakistan
Lord’s is a very different ground from Headingley. The slope from the Grandstand End to the Tavern End is unique in world cricket. It makes conventional bowling lines less reliable. It rewards bowlers who understand the angle.
Pakistan have historically performed better at Lord’s than at Headingley. The surface is more balanced between bat and ball in the first two days before it starts to deteriorate. Pakistan’s spinners, specifically Ali Usman, who took 5 wickets in 1st game.
The slope also creates natural swing for left-arm pace bowlers. That gives Mohammad Abbas and Ali Usman specific advantages if they find the right length on Day 1.
Drop Imam-ul-Haq
This is the selection decision Pakistan cannot avoid any longer. Imam-ul-Haq has been out of consistent touch for a long time now. His returns in English conditions have not justified his place at the top of the order. He has been given enough opportunities to prove himself in this format and environment. The time has come to move on.
Azan Awais is the natural replacement. Having Shan Masood and Azan Awais open the batting at Lord’s gives Pakistan more runs as Shan can play aggressivily. That variety makes it harder for Tongue and Robinson to settle into one consistent line.
A right-arm seamer who bowls over the wicket to Masood must immediately adjust his angle to bowl around the wicket to Awais. That tactical disruption is exactly what Pakistan need to make England’s new-ball attack work harder than they did at Headingley.
Masood earned this opportunity. He scored a century in the second Test against West Indies in Port of Spain. He showed composure under pressure when it mattered most. His place is secure and his partnership with Awais could be the foundation Pakistan’s Lord’s innings needs.
Include Ubaid Shah or Aamer Jamal
Pakistan’s bowling at Headingley was decent but lacked genuine pace variety. Tongue won the match with short-pitched hostility. Pakistan’s equivalent threat was missing. Ubaid Shah changes that picture. He is genuinely fast. He generates steep bounce. He makes batters uncomfortable in a way that Mohammad Abbas’s disciplined seam bowling does not.
Aamer Jamal is the other option worth serious consideration. His advantage is two-dimensional. He adds genuine lower-order batting depth that Pakistan desperately missed across both Headingley innings.
His ability to hit sixes and rotate strike in difficult situations gives Pakistan an extra 20 to 30 runs per innings that evaporates when he is not in the XI. His bowling is effective too, especially with the older ball when he can reverse-swing at pace. Either Ubaid or Jamal gives Pakistan something they did not have at Headingley.
Babar Azam Must Convert Starts Into a Century
Babar’s hand injury dominated the pre-match conversation. It clearly did not affect him enough to prevent him batting. But his shot selection under pressure raised questions. He needs to bat longer at Lord’s and convert what he starts.
This series is the most important red-ball assignment of Babar’s second captaincy stint. He has not yet produced the match-defining innings that his record demands. A century at Lord’s would change the entire series narrative.
His record of delivering key innings under pressure as captain is explored in our piece on Babar Azam’s captaincy records and seven biggest achievements. Lord’s on August 27 is exactly the kind of occasion where he has historically risen to the challenge.
Babar Must Captain More Aggressively in the Field
This is not just about the batting. Babar’s field settings and bowling changes at Headingley were too conservative. England’s batters played with freedom because the pressure was never sustained for long enough.
Babar set defensive fields when England were building partnerships. He gave Brook and Cox room to hit without fielders in attacking catching positions. He made bowling changes too slowly when individual bowlers lost rhythm. At Lord’s, Babar must think like an aggressor with the ball in hand, not a defender trying to contain.
Setting attacking slip cordons, using short-leg fielders, rotating bowlers with greater urgency when they go flat, and trusting Ali Usman to bowl long aggressive spells rather than protecting him are the specific changes required. The best captains in Test cricket win matches by creating pressure and maintaining it. Babar must captain like that at Lord’s.
Fix the Death Batting Against Short-Pitched Bowling
England’s short-ball strategy dismantled Pakistan’s middle and lower order in both innings. Tongue from round the wicket was the primary weapon. Pakistan’s batters repeatedly played at deliveries they should have left, or hooked without control.
Mohammad Rizwan’s 41 in the second innings was the only lower-order contribution of any substance. Salman Agha, Aamer Jamal, and Mohammad Ali all gave their wickets away cheaply in both innings.
That lack of lower-order depth cost Pakistan at least 60 to 80 runs across the match. Pakistan’s net sessions before August 27 must be dominated by short-pitched bowling practice. There is no more important preparation session on this entire tour.
What Pakistan’s Playing XI Should Look Like at Lord’s
Pakistan need to be bold. Safe selections got them an innings defeat inside three days. The fear of making changes should be smaller than the fear of losing the series 2-0 before Edgbaston.
Imam-ul-Haq makes way. Azan Awais opens alongside Shan Masood. This combination at the top disrupts England’s new-ball plans from ball one. In-form Abdullah Shafiq bats at three with the specific instruction to bat long and convert.
Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel anchor the middle order. Rizwan holds the lower order together. Either Ubaid Shah or Aamer Jamal adds the extra pace and batting depth that was so obviously absent at Headingley. Ali Usman takes the spin workload in the middle overs on a Lord’s surface that deteriorates into a spinner’s track.
Pakistan Suggested XI: Shan Masood, Azan Awais, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (c) Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Muhammad Ali, Ubaid Shah/Aamer Jamal, Muhammad Abbas.
Why This Series Still Matters
Pakistan were beaten heavily. But the series is not over. England lead 1-0 with two matches remaining. A Pakistan win at Lord’s levels the series. A Lord’s win changes every conversation around this team heading into Edgbaston.
Pakistan have won at Lord’s before. They have beaten England in Test matches on English soil before. This current squad contains match-winning bowlers and a batting lineup capable of posting 350 or more on the right surface.
The WTC points implications of this series make every match important beyond just the scoreline. Both teams are fighting for Final qualification positions in the current WTC cycle, a broader picture explored in our piece on the ICC World Test Championship 2025-2027 format and how it works.
Conclusion
Pakistan lost the first Test badly. The most important response is not the public statement. It is the selection meeting before Lord’s. Drop Imam and Bring in Shan on opening position. Add Ubaid or Jamal to add bit more flavour. Bat with discipline and lead aggressively while making fielding more discplined. And trust Babar to play the innings this series has been waiting for. Lord’s on August 27 is the moment that decides whether this series becomes a contest or a procession. Everything Pakistan do before that first ball defines whether they arrive ready or resigned.
