Pakistan's Babar Azam served notice to England that he is ready to continue his remarkable rise in Test cricket, compiling a regal half-century before being halted by the weather on day one of the series opener in Manchester.
Day one scorecard
Pakistan 139-2: Babar 69*, Masood 46*; Woakes 1-14, Archer 1-23)
Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat
Report
Pakistan's Babar Azam served notice to England that he is ready to continue his remarkable rise in Test cricket, compiling a regal half-century before being halted by the weather on day one of the series opener in Manchester.
Already an established white-ball star, Babar arrived in England boasting an fast-growing reputation in the longer format, averaging 65.5 since the start of 2018 including four centuries in his last seven innings.
That is well clear of both Steve Smith and Virat Kohli - the top two red ball batsmen in the world - and his effortless 69 not out showed his credentials in full as he guided the tourists to 139 for two at Emirates Old Trafford.
His knock was easily the highlight of a first day comprising just 49 overs, with 11 boundaries of the highest order in a stay of exactly 100 balls.
Chris Woakes, England's best performer with a wonderfully controlled eight-over morning burst, might have dismissed Babar first ball with a beauty that threatened both the outside edge and the off stump but that near miss was as good as it got against the 25-year-old.
As well as frustrating England's attack, Babar also left his partner Shan Masood playing second fiddle. The opener batted studiously for 45no, with Jos Buttler fluffing two chances off Dom Bess on that score - shelling a catch and missing a stumping.
England's team selection hinged predominantly on Ben Stokes' nagging quad injury, and, although he went through an extended bowling practice during the warm-ups, he was ultimately named as a specialist batsman.
While that spelled bad news for Zak Crawley, omitted once more in an unchanged XI, it at least spared a thorny selection decision between Woakes and James Anderson.
Joe Root was insistent he too would have batted and, though the moody skies and ever-present floodlights gave his bowlers some cause for optimism, Masood and Abid Ali showed plenty of composure to negotiate the first hour for the addition of 32.
Neither man was flawless but stuck admirably to the task of seeing off the initial bout of Anderson and Stuart Broad. While they drew a blank it took Archer all of seven balls to make presence known, forcing Abid back in his crease then flattening his off stump with a fuller ball that seamed in off the surface.
He made his way back for 16, an exit made all the more frustrating by a brief rain shower which saw the rest of the players follow after just three more deliveries. After a brief recess Woakes sent Azhar Ali for a more permanent trip to the pavilion.
Looking to get off the mark with a flick to leg he was undone by Woakes' unflinching control of line and length, thumped on the front pad and needlessly burning a review on his way.
Babar arrived shouldering great expectations, but Woakes' greeting was perfect, shaping in and snaking away to leave the batsman groping. It took him 15 balls to get off the mark, dropping a hasty single to cover, as Woakes stitched together a fine spell of 8-2-14-1.
The atmosphere shifted after lunch at Babar's prompting, with 68 runs flowing in 16.1 overs before the rain settled back in for almost three hours.
Babar took on Anderson first, flicking him to fine leg, pushing through mid-wicket and forcing elegantly between point and cover to get the boundary tally moving. England's record wicket-taker, who turned 38 last week, also became the first man in Test cricket to be no-balled by the TV umpire as part of a new ICC trial.
Babar was into his stride now, stroking a Broad full toss to the ropes, caressing Archer past mid-on and unfurling a pair of serene cover drives off Bess. England had been expecting the very best from the one-time Somerset recruit and he was delivering just that.
Bess had better luck against Masood, deceiving him with an arm ball then clipping his outside edge on 45. Buttler shelled the chance to deny England a breakthrough before the rain, but Babar reached his fifty just in time with another four off Archer.
When play belatedly resumed at 5.45pm a couple of short balls from Archer in failing light were enough to make it an all-spin affair, Root joining Bess from the Brian Statham End.
Bess bested Masood for the second time when he came down the wicket and made no contact, Buttler undone by the bounce as he allowed a stumping chance to go begging. There was just time for one more healthy swing of Babar's bat, pounding Bess down the ground before bad light ended things.
Reaction
England head coach Chris Silverwood felt his side let Pakistan off the hook on day one of the first Test, surrendering control in a loose afternoon session.
The tourists opted to bat first at Emirates Old Trafford but were kept on a tight leash before lunch, reaching the interval at 53 for two.
By the time stumps were finally pulled, following a three-hour rain delay and bad light, that had stretched to 139 for two with Babar Azam boasting a free-flowing unbeaten 69 and Shan Masood twice reprieved by Jos Buttler on his closing score of 46 not out.
Babar's impeccable timing, which saw him knit together an enviable highlights reel of 11 boundaries, stole the show but Silverwood felt his attack was complicit during a 16-over period after the break which leaked 68 runs.
"We started off very well, we asked a lot of good questions and beat the bat a lot, but after lunch we weren't so good," he conceded.
"We bowled too many four balls and gave the momentum back to Pakistan. They capitalised. We weren't quite on the money when we went back out there and the challenge I've thrown out there in the dressing room to the boys is, if that happens again - and it will do because not everything goes our way all of the time - how do we wrestle things back?
"We know we're up against very good batsmen. If we're not on top of our game, they will take it away from us. It's a timely reminder."
Had Ben Stokes been fit enough to bowl a full share Silverwood and Joe Root might have been faced with a tricky selection poser between the in-form Chris Woakes and record wicket-taker James Anderson on his home ground.
Concerns over Stokes' quad injury meant both played, with Woakes dismissing captain Azhar Ali during a brilliant eight-over spell worth one for 14 while Anderson was somewhat short of his considerable best.
"He was struggling for a bit of rhythm," admitted Silverwood of the 38-year-old.
"As a bowler I've felt that before, it happens, but what I've said to Jimmy is you're only ever one ball from finding that rhythm again. When he does, we know how devastating he is."
Pakistan's position would have been undermined a touch had Buttler held Masood's outside edge before the rain break or completed a stumping afterwards.
But the opening batsman was more than happy to cash in on his chances against Dom Bess having done the hard work early on under dark skies.
"We know England have world-class bowlers, especially on their home turf. It was important to get rid of the shine in the first hour and make it easier for the guys coming in," he said.
"This game is pretty funny...you get an element of fortune every now and then and there are times when the tide goes the other way. You just try to stay in and whatever chances you get, you try to capitalise. England has always been a place for world cricketers to prove their mettle."