THE FIRST TEST DROP-DEAD AWFUL

Root’s troops look rusty and let their chances slip away

ENGLAND owned up to a miserable first two days of Test cricket this summer, admitting to being “outbowled and outbatted” by Pakistan.

The tourists were 350-8 at stumps, an impressive 166 runs ahead of Joe Root’s side.

England have not only found it hard to thrive in home conditions, but made the kind of decisions that seemed to indicate uncertainty over the best way forward.

Dropping four catches yesterday did not help, but the tactics at times were puzzling, such as bowling short when there was plenty of movement with the ball pitched up.

“So far, they’ve outbowled and outbatted us,” conceded pace bowler Mark Wood. “It’s a pitch where if you put the ball around the top of off stump, something happens.

“Teams had success against us with the short ball during the winter so we thought we’d give it a go. Maybe at times it didn’t work but it was just to try something different.

“Sometimes you probably just need to bowl at the top of off a bit more but its captain’s orders and you have to do as he says.”

Root can point to the reward of Sarfraz Ahmed’s wicket from a hook to long leg, or Asad Shafiq fending a ball to Dawid Malan at second slip, but it was a curious method in classic English conditions for swing and seam.

Ben Stokes was the man who hurried those batsmen, as well as forcing Babar Azam from the field with a delivery which hit him on the arm.

Stokes is on the way back to his best, his pace was up, he got the ball to move and was a threat throughout. But it took time to get wickets with so many catches missed. Alastair Cook (above) was involved in three of them, including one off Jimmy Anderson (right).

England looked rusty and awkward, Pakistan composed and prepared.

There has been lots of hard work in catching practice, but constant changes to players’ positions, with Root even fielding at short leg, are not ideal.

Wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow said: “If you see the hard graft guys are putting in with their catching you can’t put it down to anything.

“It happens, it’s part and parcel of cricket. We beat the bat a lot and bowled with great skill it was just unfortunate we put a few down.”