Joe Root’s return to England captaincy starts with new ruthless streak

Will MacphersonWed, August 19, 2026 at 12:01 PM UTC

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It was a positive first morning for Joe Root after winning the toss and bowling against Pakistan - Lee Smith/Reuters

On his return to the England Test captaincy Joe Root has made two things clear: first, that he would be himself, not imitating Ben Stokes, his charismatic successor and predecessor; and that he would like to be judged on how he performs in his second stint, not on memories of his first.

In a truncated first session of the Headingley Test, Root enjoyed a near-perfect start.

Winning the toss

Look up, not down, they say of Headingley. There had been overnight rain, but the sun was poking past clouds as Root tossed up with Salman Ali Agha, Pakistan’s stand-in captain.

Root won the toss, and did not hesitate to bowl first. Salman revealed he would have batted, which seemed a curious idea.

Backing Robinson

Choosing bowlers’ ends correctly at Headingley is as important as at any venue in England, including the slopey Lord’s.

At Headingley, the hill runs down from the Kirkstall Lane End to the Football Stand End. Stuart Broad, on commentary with Sky, described it as “the most difficult adjustment” in England. Bowling from the Football Stand End, according to Broad, “feels like you are running up a mountain”. He and James Anderson spent the first few years bowling from the wrong ends, before swapping a decade ago to great effect, with Anderson running up the hill and Broad down.

Ollie Robinson is by some distance the slowest member of England’s attack which, you might think, would make him a prime candidate to slug up the hill. However in these overcast conditions, he was always likely to be England’s most threatening bowler. Robinson likes bowling down the hill at his home ground Hove, and got the same privilege here.

Robinson wasted no time finding the right length, which, according to Steven Finn, the former England seamer, is one metre fuller than other venues in England. Robinson, whose second daughter Eva Rae was born last week, found some extravagant nip back, and pinned Azan Awais on the pad first ball.

It was the first time a wicket had ever fallen to the first ball of a series in England, and just the 12th time in Test history. The previous occurrence was Rory Burns in the 2021-22 Ashes.

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Robinson bowled an immaculate opening spell, beating the bat and varying his line and length. In his third over, with his first ball delivered from over the wicket, he trapped Shan Masood in front, so plumb that the veteran batsman did not even consider a review.

Ruthless Archer hooking

Robinson has played two Tests at Headingley, Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue one each, while this is Gus Atkinson’s first appearance on the ground.

At the Football Stand End, Archer was handed the new ball ahead of Atkinson. But Archer was a little bit wayward with his first couple of overs, angling a couple of deliveries down the leg side and failing to make the batsman play outside off stump.

So, knowing England had to capitalise on conditions, Root whipped Archer out of the attack after just two overs, bringing Atkinson on. A sign of a new type of captain, perhaps.

Relocation, relocation, relocation

Root has been a fixture for England at first slip since the retirement of Alastair Cook eight years ago. But, having returned to the captaincy, Root has relocated to mid-off, where Stokes fielded as skipper to consult closely with his bowlers.

Root was replaced by Ben Duckett at first slip in a new-look cordon that includes Jordan Cox at third and Dan Lawrence at fourth or gully. Having employed an ultra-aggressive field including five slips and Emilio Gay at short leg, Root briefly popped back in to fourth slip.

Over-eager reviews

Under Stokes, England were always over-eager reviewers, and Root was the same here, burning two in the first 50 minutes the only blot in his copybook. The first was poor, as Root was talked into a review against Imam-ul-Haq by Robinson, when the ball had clearly struck him outside the line.

England had two failed reviews before lunch - Philip Brown/Getty Images

The second was more understandable, with a very woody sound appearing to indicate an inside-edge for Abdullah Shafique through to Jamie Smith off Atkinson. Every England fielder was convinced he had hit the ball, but umpire Allahuddien Palekrer was unmoved. Root’s review revealed it to be a superb decision.

Before another ball was possible, the heavens opened, bringing about an early lunch, with Pakistan 23 for two.

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Source: “AOL Sports”