Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Ali claim seven wickets as England struggle to 248/9 on a shortened opening day in London.

Pakistan’s pace attack delivered a strong response in the second Test against England, exploiting overcast conditions to reduce the hosts to 248 for nine on a rain-affected opening day in London. Only 56 overs were possible after rain delayed the start.

Having suffered a heavy innings-and-103-run defeat in the first Test at Headingley, Pakistan opted to bowl first and immediately benefited from the conditions. The movement available from the surface allowed their seamers to keep England’s batters under sustained pressure.

Veteran pacer Mohammad Abbas was particularly impressive, repeatedly troubling England’s top order with disciplined bowling and lateral movement. Mohammad Ali also played a key role as Pakistan quickly began picking up wickets.

Ben Duckett departed for 17 before Emilio Gay was dismissed for eight. England captain Joe Root, who had guided his side to a commanding victory in the previous Test, was unable to make an impact and fell for just four runs.

Harry Brook and Dan Lawrence also failed to convert their starts, scoring 15 and 17 respectively. Abbas and Ali’s relentless spells left England in a vulnerable position during the early stages of the innings.

England then recovered through Jordan Cox and Jamie Smith. Cox produced a patient 55 from 105 deliveries, while Smith adopted a more aggressive approach to counter Pakistan’s seam attack. The wicketkeeper-batter struck 61 from 80 balls and provided England with valuable momentum.

Khurram Shahzad eventually ended the partnership by dismissing Cox, giving Pakistan another crucial breakthrough. England’s lower order subsequently added important runs, with Gus Atkinson attacking the bowlers to score 34 from only 27 deliveries.

Abbas returned to the attack and finished the day with impressive figures of four wickets for 56 runs. However, Jofra Archer, unbeaten on 14, and Josh Tongue, on one not out, survived until stumps.

With England nine wickets down, Pakistan will look to complete the cleanup quickly when play resumes, while the hosts will hope their final wicket can add a few crucial runs to their first-innings total.