Abbas and Ali lead Pakistan fightback as England stumble on rain-hit Lord’s day

Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Ali produced a superb display of seam bowling to put Pakistan in control before Jamie Smith and Jordan Cox mounted a spirited England recovery on a dramatic opening day of the second Test at Lord’s.

England finished on 248 for 9 after a day dominated by swing, seam and intermittent bad light. Pakistan, who were beaten by an innings and 103 runs in the first Test at Headingley, showed a significant improvement with both ball and in the field.

Abbas was the chief destroyer, finishing with 4 for 56 after ripping through England's top order. Mohammad Ali added three wickets, including the prized dismissals of Harry Brook and Smith, as Pakistan repeatedly exposed England's batting frailties.

England were reduced to 36 for 3 after Abbas dismissed Emilio Gay, Ben Duckett and Joe Root. The veteran seamer expertly exploited the overcast conditions, finding movement both through the air and off the pitch.

Abbas reached the milestone of 900 first-class wickets when Duckett was given not out lbw but Pakistan captain Babar Azam successfully reviewed the decision. Ball-tracking showed the delivery would have hit the top of off stump.

The breakthrough came after Mohammad Rizwan had already produced a sharp catch down the leg side to remove Gay, giving Pakistan an ideal start following their decision to bowl after winning the toss.

Root lasted only 13 deliveries before Abbas struck again, trapping him on the back pad. By lunch, Abbas had figures of 3 for 34 and England were in serious trouble.

Ali then produced the delivery of the morning. His ball to Harry Brook jagged sharply back into the right-hander, beating his attempted stroke and crashing into the stumps. Brook, who had dominated the first Test with a match-winning innings, was dismissed cheaply.

England's recovery began through Cox and Smith. Cox, batting at No. 3 in only his third Test, showed impressive discipline and resilience, putting together important partnerships after England had slipped to 77 for 4.

He initially combined with Dan Lawrence before their 43-run stand was ended by a run-out. Lawrence pushed a delivery towards midwicket and set off, only to be sent back by Cox. Shan Masood reacted quickly and threw to Rizwan, leaving Lawrence well short of his ground.

Cox continued his excellent run of form, reaching his second half-century in as many Test innings. He struck consecutive boundaries off left-arm spinner Ali Usman to bring up the milestone.

Smith then joined him and the pair added 60 from 77 balls, dragging England back into contention.

Smith, under pressure after a lean spell with the bat, looked increasingly assured. He reached 44 not out by tea and matched Cox's seven boundaries, offering England the stability they desperately needed.

However, Cox's promising innings ended in spectacular fashion. Salman Agha, acting as a substitute fielder at second slip, produced a stunning diving catch to dismiss him for 55. Springing high to his right, Salman held on despite landing heavily after completing an acrobatic grab.

Smith continued to attack, bringing up his tenth boundary with a sublime straight drive, but Ali soon produced another brilliant nip-backer. The delivery beat Smith's drive and crashed into his stumps, ending a crucial 61-run innings.

Ali struck again only two balls later, producing another sharp delivery that beat Ollie Robinson's defence and left England eight wickets down.

Jofra Archer then provided some late entertainment. He took a risky single from his first ball before launching Abbas over long-off for six, briefly raising hopes of a late counterattack.

Those hopes ended when Archer attempted another big shot at Abbas and was bowled, giving the seamer his fourth wicket.

Pakistan appeared on the verge of completing the innings with one wicket remaining, but bad light intervened just before 6.10pm. Play was eventually abandoned shortly after 6.30pm, leaving England on 248 for 9.

After their heavy defeat in Leeds, Pakistan will be delighted with the way they responded at Lord's. Their seamers consistently troubled England, while their fielding was considerably sharper despite a handful of missed opportunities.

England, meanwhile, will hope their lower order can add valuable runs when play resumes. With only one wicket remaining, Pakistan will be favourites to finish the innings quickly and take advantage of conditions that have already proved highly productive for their seam attack.