It’s era we go
A FRESH start? A new era? Sadly, this was the same old England.
Losing in Australia and New Zealand was disappointing but not unexpected. After all, hardly anyone wins Test series away any more. But things were meant to be different at home, especially against a relatively inexperienced Pakistan team.
Instead, a sell- out Lord’s crowd on the opening day of the Test summer was served up more of the same old tripe as England were bundled out for just 184 on the opening day of this fi rst Test.
The glaring weaknesses that were exposed during the winter were in evidence again as the hosts lost their last fi ve wickets for 16 runs in just 27 balls.
That is despite a change in personnel that saw James Vince dropped, Joe Root shifted up to No3, Jonny Bairstow to No5 and Jos Buttler parachuted in from the Indian Premier League to resume his Test career at No7. There was even a debut for 20- year- old spinner Dom Bess . But nothing has really changed at all.
Pakistan were excellent, especially inexperienced seamers Hasan Ali and Mohammad Abbas, who shared eight wickets between them . But there is no escaping the fact England were abject.
Root decided to bat fi rst after winning the toss under grey skies. The scars infl icted over the winter were soon reopened by the excellent Abbas, who bowled Mark Stoneman in the fourth over, and Hasan, who had Root and Dawid Malan caught behind.
Stoneman, under pressure after an unconvincing winter, will be lucky to survive the series if he carries on like this, having been bowled for just four. Root then played a rash shot outside off to fall for the same score.
England were 43- 3 when Malan, another who has yet to fully establish himself despite an encouraging Ashes campaign, fell for six. By lunch, the hosts had taken their score to 72 without further loss , Alastair Cook unbeaten on 46 alongside Bairstow.
But the fourth- wicket pair’s stand was halted with the total on 100 when Bairstow was bowled by Faheem Ashraf.
Cook, who had reached his half- century shortly before Bairstow’s departure, rebuilt again, this time alongside Ben Stokes. The pair put on 49 before Cook was deceived by a brilliant delivery from Mohammad Amir, his Essex team- mate last summer who has now dismissed him six times in Tests.
That brought Buttler to the crease and the IPL pair took the total to 165- 5 at tea. But both were dismissed in quick succession in the evening session. Pakistan were thankful for a smart review when Abbas appealed what looked a marginal lbw against Stokes.
They were right, with the ball pitching just in line, and Stokes had gone for 38 .
Then Buttler, the whiteball specialist playing his fi rst Test in 18 months, was caught brilliantly at second slip off Hasan following a rash – dare I say it, T20 – shot outside off stump.
Buttler’s recall cannot be judged on one knock but his innings of 14 from 15 balls was the kind of start the pessimists would have expected.
It left England 168- 7 and they were soon all out for 184 as Bess, caught at second slip off Abbas, Stuart Broad, trapped lbw by the same man, and Mark Wood, caught off Hasan, fell cheaply.
England hit back early in Pakistan’s reply when Broad had Imam- ul- Haq dismissed lbw on review but the tourists are in a strong position.