Archer takes final wicket as England secure huge win at Headingley

England made an impressive start to their new captaincy era under Joe Root, as they thrashed Pakistan by an innings and 103 runs in the first Test at Headingley, Leeds. Following Ben Stokes' retirement and Brendon McCullum's departure as coach, England delivered a dominant all-round performance to secure a 1-0 lead in the series.

After Pakistan was dismissed for 171 in their first innings, England amassed 409 before taking the visitors down to 135 in their second innings. This victory marked England's largest innings win over Pakistan at Headingley and their second consecutive innings triumph at the venue, following a similar success in 2018. England won the toss and chose to bowl, and their decision proved fruitful as their pace attack dismantled Pakistan's batting lineup.

Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue contributed 10 wickets each, reducing Pakistan from 117/3 to 171 all out. Despite Abdullah Shafique's solid 61, the rest of the Pakistani batting lineup struggled against England's disciplined pace attack. England then established a commanding first-innings lead at 112/2, setting the stage for a dominant display on the first day.

Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, and Root led the way for England, with Brook narrowly missing a century, Cox scoring 73, and Root contributing 66. Dan Lawrence added 51 with the ball. Pakistan's left-arm spinner Ali Usman provided some resistance with his maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket, but England continued to pile on the runs, securing a 238-run first-innings advantage and leaving Pakistan with a daunting task to salvage the Test.