Abbas rattles England before Smith and Cox rescue hosts at Lord’s

Jamie Smith and Jordan Cox hit half-centuries as England recovered from an early collapse to reach 248-9 against Pakistan on Thursday before bad light ended the opening day of the second Test at Lord’s.

Pakistan made early inroads after winning the toss, reducing England to 36-3 as Mohammad Abbas struck twice in his opening spell. England then fought back through Smith and Cox, who both scored fifties to help the hosts recover before bad light stopped play with England nine wickets down.

Veteran paceman Abbas took three wickets for four runs in 16 balls, including England captain Joe Root for four.

Smith's 61 and Cox's 55, his second successive Test fifty, changed the momentum for the home team.

Abbas finished with fine figures of 4-56 from 15 overs, while fellow seamer Mohammad Ali took 3-67 from 17 overs. The umpires eventually decided conditions had become unsafe for play despite the floodlights illuminating the ground.

How did Pakistan improve after the Headingley defeat?

Pakistan had struggled badly in the first Test at Headingley, where they suffered an innings-and-103-run defeat in the opening match of the three-Test series.

They had also faced the more difficult conditions after losing the toss, eventually being dismissed for 171 and 135. At Lord's, however, Pakistan were presented with another opportunity after winning the toss and choosing to field on a green-tinged pitch under grey skies.

Babar Azam returned as Pakistan captain after missing the first Test because of a finger injury. He replaced stand-in skipper Salman Ali Agha and was the only change to either side following the first Test.

The conditions initially rewarded Pakistan's seamers, with Abbas quickly finding movement and keeping England's top order under pressure. Pakistan's bowlers also received support from some excellent work in the field.

Abbas has enjoyed previous success in English conditions and had been named player of the match after taking eight wickets during Pakistan's victory at Lord's in 2018.

How did Mohammad Abbas trouble England's top order?

The 36-year-old Abbas settled into his spell quickly and benefited from an excellent catch by wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan. Emilio Gay glanced a ball down the leg side, but Rizwan produced a diving one-handed catch to give Abbas his first wicket.

Ben Duckett then fell for 17 after Abbas trapped him lbw with a nip-backer. The Pakistan seamer struck again when England captain Root was pinned on the back leg for only four.

Harry Brook was the next to go, bowled for 15 by Mohammad Ali after the delivery jagged back into him. England were 80-4 at lunch, leaving Pakistan in control after the opening session.

Dan Lawrence had earlier made 10 when he flicked the ball towards midwicket, where Shan Masood dropped what appeared to be a straightforward catch.

Pakistan's fielding had been heavily criticised during their defeat in Leeds, but they responded with sharper work at Lord's as the match progressed.

Lawrence was eventually run out after turning spinner Ali Usman towards the leg side and setting off for a single that was never available. Jordan Cox sent him back, but Masood's accurate throw from midwicket found Rizwan before Lawrence could make his ground.

How did Jordan Cox and Jamie Smith rescue England?

Cox took advantage of the opportunity and struck consecutive boundaries through the leg side off Usman. He reached his fifty from 88 balls, with seven fours.

Cox and Smith then added 67 runs to pull England away from danger. Their partnership gave the hosts a platform after Abbas and Ali had exposed the top order during the first session.

Smith reached his fifty from only 63 balls, and his innings eventually ended when Ali bowled him, before the Pakistan seamer removed Ollie Robinson two balls later with another delivery that jagged back.

Substitute fielder Agha also played his part in breaking the partnership, holding an excellent slip catch off Khurram Shahzad to dismiss Smith after Cox and Smith had steadied England's innings.

Jofra Archer briefly added to England's late resistance by launching Abbas for a straight six. Abbas responded soon afterwards, dismissing Gus Atkinson, who remained unbeaten on 34 at the close.