England’s top order lasted barely an hour before Mohammad Abbas took it apart completely. Three wickets fell for just four runs in 16 balls, leaving the innings at 36 for three inside the very first session at Lord’s. What followed wasn’t a rapid recovery. It was a patient, carefully calculated rebuild from Jordan Cox and Jamie Smith, whose 67-run stand dragged England away from crisis toward a total Pakistan will have to work hard to chase down on a testing surface.
A Morning Session Built For Abbas
Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl after an 80-minute rain delay had left the pitch green and the sky heavy with cloud cover. Abbas, already a Lord’s player-of-the-match winner from 2018, needed only 16 balls to strike three times while conceding just four runs in that opening burst.
Emilio Gay edged a leg-side delivery and was caught brilliantly one-handed by Rizwan behind the stumps. Ben Duckett was trapped lbw by a nip-backer for 17. Joe Root was struck on the back pad for four off just 13 balls and opted against a review of the decision. England stood at 36 for three before the first hour of the match had even finished.
England vs Pakistan 2026 Cox Smith Partnership
Mohammad Ali then removed Harry Brook with a delivery that jagged sharply back through his attempted drive, and England slipped further to 80 for four at lunch. Dan Lawrence added a further 17 runs before being run out, leaving Cox alone at around 120 for five with the tail already in sight of the crease.
Smith arrived with the England innings genuinely threatening to fold below 200 altogether. Their sixth-wicket stand added 67 hard-fought runs and carried England from 120 for five to a defendable 248 for nine, the platform that turned a collapsing morning into an afternoon worth defending.
Cox’s Patience Against The New Ball
Cox faced the ball at its most dangerous, new and seaming under thick cloud cover, and answered with restraint rather than aggression of any kind. His 55 came from 105 patient balls at a strike rate of 52.38, built almost entirely on seven fours struck through the off side.
Batter | Runs | Balls | Strike Rate |
Emilio Gay | 8 | 17 | 47.06 |
Ben Duckett | 17 | 20 | 85.00 |
Joe Root | 4 | 13 | 30.77 |
Harry Brook | 15 | 26 | 57.69 |
Dan Lawrence | 17 | 41 | 41.46 |
Jordan Cox | 55 | 105 | 52.38 |
Jamie Smith | 61 | 80 | 76.25 |
Gus Atkinson | 34 | 27 | 125.93 |
It was his second Test fifty in successive matches, following one at Headingley in the series opener, and it came in only his third Test appearance overall for England. Every scoring shot looked calculated for a pitch that had already punished anyone tempted to drive hard on the up early in their innings.
Smith’s Shift In Tempo After Lunch
Smith walked in against a ball that was already 35 overs old and a pitch that had settled slightly by the afternoon, and he attacked from the outset rather than easing his way in. He targeted the fuller lengths that Khurram Shahzad and Ali kept offering up, finding 10 fours mostly through the leg side and over mid-on.
His 61 from 80 balls, at a strike rate of 76.25, was the highest individual score of the entire day’s play. He was eventually bowled by another Ali nip-backer, the same type of delivery that had already accounted for Brook several hours earlier in that same session.
Setting Up A Contest For Day Two
England closed on 248 for nine, with Pakistan needing just one more wicket to wrap up the innings when play resumes on the second morning of the contest. It denied Abbas the total collapse his early burst had threatened, and kept England within touching distance of the form that saw them win the opening Test at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs just a week earlier.
Whether 248 proves competitive will depend on how Pakistan’s openers handle the new-ball pairing of Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer and Ollie Robinson on the second morning, but this England vs Pakistan 2026 Cox Smith partnership already did its job by giving the total a genuine floor worth defending rather than a number to apologise for.
Was the Cox and Smith stand the difference between a par score and a collapse at Lord’s? Let us know your read on Day One.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How many runs did Jordan Cox score at Lord’s?
Cox scored 55 from 105 balls at a strike rate of 52.38. He hit seven fours, all through the off side, in what was only his third Test appearance.
What was the Cox and Smith partnership worth for England?
Their sixth-wicket stand added 67 crucial runs on a testing opening day. It moved England from 120 for five to a much safer 248 for nine.
How did Pakistan’s bowlers dismiss England’s top order?
Mohammad Abbas took three wickets for four runs inside his opening 16 balls. Mohammad Ali then removed Harry Brook to leave England 80 for four at lunch.
Who scored the highest individual score on Day One at Lord’s?
Jamie Smith top-scored with 61 runs from just 80 balls. His strike rate of 76.25 was well above Cox’s more watchful 52.38 in the same partnership.
Who won the first Test between England and Pakistan this summer?
England won the opening Test at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs. That result came just a week before this second Test began at Lord’s.