Jamie Smith and Jordan Cox both scored fifties as England recovered from a top-order collapse against Pakistan to 248-9 when bad light ended Thursday’s opening day of the second Test at Lord’s.
Veteran paceman Mohammad Abbas took three wickets for four runs in 16 balls, including the prize scalp of England captain Joe Root for just four, as the hosts slumped to 36-3 after Pakistan won the toss in helpful conditions for seam bowling.
But Smith’s 61 and 55 from Cox — his second fifty in successive Test innings — got England back into the game and turned attention away from the late-night drinking incident that saw fast bowler Brydon Carse dropped from their squad.
Abbas had fine figures of 4-56 in 15 overs and fellow seamer Mohammad Ali 3-67 in 17 when the umpires ruled it was unsafe to continue despite the floodlights illuminating the ground.
Pakistan were woeful in all departments during an innings and 103-run defeat in the first of a three-Test series at Headingley last week.
They did, however, have the worst of the conditions after losing the toss before being dismissed for meagre totals of 171 and 135.
It was a different story in London, with Pakistan captain Babar Azam, the only change to either side as he returned from a finger injury in place of stand-in skipper Salman Ali Agha, opting to field on a green-tinged pitch under grey skies following a rain delay.
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