England Reduced to 248/9 on Rain-Hit Day 1 of Second Pakistan Test at Lord's

England were reduced to 248 for 9 on a rain-affected first day of the second Test against Pakistan at Lord's, with half-centuries from Jordan Cox and Jamie Smith rescuing the hosts after a shaky start.

Pakistan won the toss and chose to field, with captain Babar Azam back in the side after being rested for the series opener. A deluge of rain postponed the start of play until early afternoon, and England's day got off to a torrid beginning once it did get underway, slipping to 36 for 3 inside the first 11 overs as Pakistan made full use of overcast conditions at Lord's. Mohammad Abbas was the chief destroyer with the new ball, finishing with 4 for 56, while Mohammad Ali chipped in with 3 for 67 as England's top order, including captain Joe Root for just 4, struggled to find any rhythm.

England hit back as conditions eased, with Jordan Cox making a fighting 55 and Jamie Smith playing his way back into form with a composed 61, the pair sharing a crucial partnership to drag the innings past 200. Smith, who had endured a lean run of scores recently, credited a recent stint playing Championship cricket for Surrey with helping him rediscover a different method at the crease. Despite the fightback, England lost regular wickets throughout the afternoon and finished the day nine down at the close, with Gus Atkinson unbeaten on 34 alongside Josh Tongue.

Pakistan's fielding did let them down at times, with wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan and the slip cordon standing unusually deep and seeing a handful of chances go down short of the target. Even so, it was a much-improved performance from the tourists following their innings-and-103-run defeat at Headingley last week, and Pakistan will resume day two well placed to wrap up the England innings cheaply and build a first-innings advantage at the home of cricket.