Joe Root's second stint as England Test captain began with a dominant victory over Pakistan, winning the first Test at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs inside three days to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The result offers welcome relief after a turbulent period for England cricket, following Ben Stokes's retirement and Brendon McCullum's sacking as Test coach, though the win came against a Pakistan side that offered little resistance, with weak batting, wayward bowling and poor fielding throughout.

Pakistan were bowled out for 171 and 135, with Josh Tongue and Ollie Robinson each taking five-wicket hauls in the first innings and finishing with match figures of 8-89 and 8-80 respectively. England's 409 was built on contributions from Harry Brook (91), Jordan Cox (73) and Root himself (66), with Cox's innings, in only his second Test, hinting at a promising future. It was Root's 27th Test win as captain from 66 matches, extending his record as England's most successful skipper, and a further victory at Lord's from Thursday would secure the series.