According to a report from Crictracker, Pakistan suffered a heavy defeat by an innings and 103 runs against England in the first Test at Headingley. The match ended before tea on the third day. England had posted a first-innings total of 409, which gave them a substantial lead of 238 runs after Pakistan were bowled out for just 171 in their first innings.
Pakistan's second innings fared no better, as they were dismissed for 135 in 37.3 overs. Mohammad Rizwan was the only batsman to offer some resistance, scoring 41. Imam-ul-Haq fell for a duck. The England bowlers shared the wickets, with Josh Tongue, Ollie Robinson and Jofra Archer each taking three wickets in the second innings. Robinson and Tongue finished with eight wickets each for the match, having also taken five-wicket hauls in the first innings.
Following the defeat, former Pakistan pacer Tanveer Ahmed publicly criticised the composition of the Pakistan Cricket Board selection committee, which is led by Misbah-ul-Haq. Ahmed pointed out that the panel consists of three batsmen and only one fast bowler. He questioned this imbalance, linking it to the batting failures and the nature of pitches prepared for home matches. The selection committee includes Misbah, Aqib Javed, Asad Shafiq and coach Sarfaraz Ahmed.
"Three batsmen on the selection committee, and your batsmen, the middle order, have failed," Ahmed said on PTV Sports, according to Crictracker. He also criticised the committee's influence on pitch preparation. He added that having just one fast bowler on the committee was ruining fast bowling by making turning pitches for spinners inside Pakistan. He suggested this selection committee's mindset gives a clear indication of the direction of Pakistan cricket.
The defeat adds to Pakistan's challenging record in Test cricket, with only five victories since 2023, most of which came at home. The second Test of the series is scheduled to begin on Thursday at Lord's. England, under captain Joe Root, leads the series 1-0. Pakistan was captained by Salman Agha at Headingley as a stand-in, with Babar Azam out due to a finger injury. It remains unclear if Babar will return for the next match, adding uncertainty to the captaincy. The pressure is on the selection committee and the squad to respond in the remaining two Tests.