England player ratings: Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue take top marks after three-day victory over Pakistan in first Test
Joe Root was excellent on his return to the captaincy while Harry Brook batted with maturity and Jordan Cox looked the part after replacing the injured Jacob Bethell at No 3; watch second Test, at Lord's, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10am on Thursday (11am first ball)
Friday 21 August 2026 20:05, UK
We rate England's players after the thumping innings win over Pakistan at Headingley as Joe Root's side took a 1-0 lead in the three-match Test series...
Ben Duckett - 4
15 off 28 balls
Duckett suffers here from the fact Pakistan did not make England bat again, leaving him unable to add to his score with a second knock after a 28-ball 15 first time around.
- England romp to three-day win on Joe Root's captaincy return
- Scorecard: England vs Pakistan, first Test, Headingley
- Not got Sky? Latest Sky Sports deals or stream no contract
The opener - who has rediscovered his mojo following a tough Ashes, impressing against New Zealand and in The Hundred - will hope to play a more central role in the Tests at Lord's and Edgbaston.
Emilio Gay - 6
33 from 31 balls
Gay came into this game off the back of a pair in a warm-up match so nerves would have been fluttering - but he eased those with a number of sweetly-struck boundaries before nicking off shortly after Duckett's dismissal.
The Durham man does look vulnerable to balls angled across him yet has shown plenty of promise early in his Test career, with two fifties versus New Zealand. Will hope for a big knock soon.
Jordan Cox - 8.5
73 from 100 balls
He may only be keeping the No 3 spot warm until Jacob Bethell (knee) is fit again but Cox put in a good case to stay in the XI long term with an authoritative half-century at first drop. He was aided by some poor Pakistan bowling but still looked the part.
It may be that Cox's best route into the XI going forward is as wicketkeeper-batter so an impressive next two Tests as well and he could pressure Jamie Smith for that post.
He took two catches at slip on the third and final day in Leeds, including a superb diving effort after the ball had ballooned up off gloveman Smith's thigh.
Joe Root - 9
66 from 112 balls
Almost everything Root touched in this Test, on his return to the permanent captaincy, turned to gold, bar his limp shot and even worse review on the second day.
He had batted with his usual brilliance before that and was excellent as captain, having had the fortune of winning the toss and inserting Pakistan under leaden skies.
Root, who largely stood at mid-off to have the ear of his bowlers, showed a ruthless streak by hooking Jofra Archer after two underwhelming overs in the first innings.
His funky field placings, including deploying himself at leg slip at one point, also paid off as England secured just a third win in their last 11 Tests. A fine start to the new era.
Harry Brook - 9
91 from 93 balls
If fears over maturity was a reason Brook was overlooked when it came to deciding Ben Stokes' successor as Test skipper, then the vice-captain showed signs of growth in Leeds, with his near-run-a-ball 91 enterprising, of course, but not reckless.
Brook told Sky Sports the morning after that the Headingley pitch meant he did not need to play any "rash shots", something he has been guilty of in the past.
The Yorkshireman could have been caught at slip on one - and if he had questions over his temperament would probably have arisen again - but he made Pakistan pay before heartbreakingly falling in the 90s in a Test on home turf for the second year running.
Dan Lawrence - 8
51 from 79 balls
0-0 from one over in second innings
Lawrence had the unenviable - and impossible - task of replacing Stokes in the XI. His part-time spin bowling was only used for one over with the game moving so quickly but his batting starred as he struck nine fours in his fifty, around the odd jittery moment.
A bigger role with the ball may come if Pakistan improve. Only then will we probably know if Lawrence is the right fit in the post-Stokes era or more tinkering is needed.
Sam Curran's injury means Lawrence will probably see out the summer at least.
Jamie Smith - 6
25 off 42 balls
Smith was faultless behind the stumps but will be annoyed by his avoidable dismissal, ballooning a short ball tamely to midwicket. That said, he was left with the tail and his exit did not make any difference to the result.
If he can get back to scoring the regular runs someone of his talent should and maintain his Headingley standards with the gloves, then there will be no questioning his place.
It not, and Cox continues to flourish, then England could have a big decision to make when Bethell is fit again.
Gus Atkinson - 5
0-40 from 12 overs in first innings
1-11 from eight overs in second innings
Much like fellow seamer Archer, Atkinson looked a little rusty in the first innings. Understandable perhaps considering he had just come off a long run of white-ball cricket - a bit for England and lot for Hundred champions Manchester Super Giants.
And much like Archer, he was better in the second innings, bagging his sole wicket of the game when he cleaned up Mohammad Rizwan to put his side on the brink.
This was a new role for Atkinson to what he has been accustomed to of late, moving from new-ball man to first change as Archer and Ollie Robinson shared the fresh Dukes.
Ollie Robinson - 10
5-51 from 18 overs in first innings
3-29 from 11 overs in second innings
Simply irresistible. Worries over Robinson's durability may remain - this was his first Test since the opening game of the summer against New Zealand having suffered a niggle - but there is no doubting his skill and control. He has the ball on a string.
The Sussex seamer pinned Azan Awais lbw to the first ball of the match and was a constant menace with his probing line and length and subtle variations and seam movement. He was helped by conditions and a fragile batting line-up but that's taking nothing away from him.
Now, though, he needs to stay fit.
Jofra Archer - 7
23no from 25 balls
0-26 from nine overs in first innings
3-50 from 10.3 overs in second innings
Archer lacked rhythm and was a bit too leg-side in the first innings. However, he got back in the red-ball groove on day three, bowling with a big smile and real snap.
He made light work of Pakistan openers Imam-ul-Haq and Azan to reduce the tourists to 13-2 before picking up the match-clinching wicket of Mohammad Abbas.
Archer will also be pleased with his batting - he struck the game's sole six and added two fours as well to help England take their first-innings lead in excess of 200.
Josh Tongue - 10
5-46 from 9.1 overs in first innings
3-43 from seven overs in second innings
We had the peculiar sight of the ball being cut in half and Tongue and Robinson taking a segment each after their first-innings five-fors and when they both ended up with eight wickets in the Test, it must have made picking player of the match a tough ask.
Robinson took that accolade but we can't split the seamers in our ratings - each get 10 out of 10.
Tongue built on Robinson's early work in Pakistan's first dig, nipping in to break a 91-run third-wicket stand and then scything through the lower middle order, while his three wickets soon after lunch on the third day largely guaranteed we would not have a fourth.
Hailed as England's "best and most valuable bowler" and "a real trump card" by Sky Sports' Stuart Broad, Tongue will have a massive role to play moving forward. He shone in the last Ashes and his success in the next one, in 2027, could be crucial.
Watch day one of the second Test between England and Pakistan, at Lord's, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 10am Thursday (11am first ball). Stream contract-free with NOW.
England vs Pakistan Test series schedule
All games live on Sky Sports; all 11am starts UK and Ireland
- First Test (Headingley) - England won by innings and 103 runs
- Second Test (Lord's) - August 27-31
- Third Test (Edgbaston) - September 9-13
