Brook makes Pakistan pay for dropped catch as England dominate first Test

Harry Brook has punished Pakistan for dropping him at the start of his innings with a quickfire 91 that strengthened England’s grip on the first cricket Test at Headingley.

England were 366-8 at stumps on a rain-marred second day on Thursday, 195 runs ahead of Pakistan’s meagre first innings of 171.

The only sadness for the crowd was that neither of their local Yorkshire heroes were able to post a century, with skipper Joe Root out for 66 before Brook fell late in the day.

Dan Lawrence, recalled after the international retirement of former captain Ben Stokes, made 51 and put on 120 with Brook in England’s first Test of the post-Bazball era.

Jordan Cox (73) and Root had earlier shared a third-wicket stand of exactly 150 before falling in quick succession to give Pakistan a glimmer of hope in the first of this three-Test series.

Brook, however, should then have been out for one when he edged Khurram Shahzad, only for diving Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha, leading the side in place of the injured Babar Azam, to drop the chance at second slip.

Brook cashed in and was in sight of what would have been his first Test century at Headingley – and 11th in 39 matches overall – when he tried to turn left-arm spinner Ali Usman legside only for the ball to hit his leg before rattling the stumps.

It was the second time Brook, the number one batsman in the red-ball rankings, had been out in the 90s of a Test at Headingley following his 99 against India last year.