Test cricket returns on Wednesday as England begin a three-match series with Pakistan at Headingley – Richard Mann provides his preview here.
Cricket tips: England v Pakistan
2pts Jofra Archer to take over 4.5 wickets in the match at 8/11 (bet365, betway)
1pt Jofra Archer top England first innings bowler at 3/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair)
Joe Root England Test captain 2.0 begins with a three-match series against Pakistan on Wednesday, somewhat symbolically on his home ground of Headingley.
Root has been persuaded to step back into the role he first relinquished in 2022, though my suspicion is the 35-year-old didn’t need much persuading at all, so determined is he to have another crack at a job which was made almost impossible first time around during the Covid pandemic.
As I argued here upon news of Root’s re-appointment, I’m in favour of the decision to prefer him to white-ball captain Harry Brook, at least at this stage, though the latter’s words of support for his Yorkshire teammate in recent days were both impressive and mature given he himself had made no secret of his desire to take on the role.
Back on the field, England have work to do following defeat to New Zealand in June in a series that was meant to be the start of a new dawn for Bazball following a bruising Ashes drubbing Down Under in the winter.
That Australia were hammered by Bangladesh in Darwin only last week paints a particularly bad picture of England’s own Test team, and arguably enforces the belief that Brendon McCullumn’s departure as coach, and even Ben Stokes’ exit as captain, came at the right time.
Despite Stephen Fleming being confirmed as McCullum’s replacement, he won’t be in the role for the series with Pakistan, though it is understood he was involved in the selection process for this Test, which has seen the wildly-talented Jordan Cox confirmed to bat at number three in place of the injured Jacob Bethell. Dan Lawrence, who has been in the runs throughout the summer, will return at six.
Archer fresh and firing for Pakistan challenge
Without Stokes to balance the side, and Sam Curran not considered fit enough to get through the required overs in Leeds, we might well see England opt for an all-seam attack, led by JOFRA ARCHER who was outstanding in the two games he played in that series against the Kiwis, taking 11 wickets at an average of 22.81 and bowling with skill and pace throughout.
I’d expect Archer to continue in that vein in Leeds, on a pitch that is quick in nature, and up against a Pakistan batting line-up that isn’t sure to enjoy batting in such conditions against extreme pace.
Furthermore, Pakistan’s top six is expected to feature three left-handers – good news for Archer who generally bowls very well to Southpaws, while it’s worth noting that he returned match figures of 8-85 on his sole previous Test on this ground against Australia back in 2019.
While the likes of Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson have a quick turnaround from The Hundred to contend with this week, both having played in the final of that tournament on Sunday, Archer’s last outing for Southern Brave came on August 8, meaning he should be fresh and raring to go following an 11-day break.
What are the best bets?
As such, there appears to be a spot of value in ARCHER TO BE TOP ENGLAND FIRST INNINGS BOWLER at 3/1, though ARCHER TO TAKE OVER 4.5 WICKETS IN THE MATCH looks banker material at 8/11. I’m happy to bet both.
Despite England’s troubles, I’m not expecting a great deal from Pakistan who come into this series on the back of a drawn series in the Caribbean where they produced a real mixed bag, struggling with the bat in the first Test before bouncing back to win the series finale. Prior to that, the batting was humbled badly by pace in Bangladesh.
Babar Azam returns for another stint as captain and will continue to take a good chunk of the book in the top Pakistan batsman market, despite generally proving overbet and overrated.
While that criticism might sound harsh for a man who has three fifties in four Tests in England, and who batted well in that recent series with West Indies, his Test average in 2025 was 31.50, in 2024 it was 20.20, and in 2023 it was 22.66. It’s not been a golden run for Babar by any stretch of the imagination.
Perhaps he’s turned a corner now, but I’m minded to take him on, and might well do so if Shan Masood is passed fit following a finger injury that meant he missed the recent warm-up match at Beckingham.
Masood plays pace well, has vast experience of county cricket to fall back on, including with Yorkshire, and with Saud Shakeel making a hundred in that warm-up fixture, there are alternatives to Babar who will continue to go off very short. Don’t discount the dangerous Aamer Jamal at big prices, either.
Weather watch in Leeds
I will be providing in-play previews at the end of each day for this Test, so will likely revisit that project, so too will I expect to get a better handle on conditions in Leeds, with the weather seemingly taking a turn for the worse this week at the end of what has been a long, hot, dry summer.
The forecast for the rest of the week is pretty grim, and while I’ve argued all summer in my T20 Blast and previews for The Hundred that Headingley is just about the best place to bat in the country, we know that overheads can dictate at this venue.
Last summer’s Test match between England and India on this ground was a case in point. In essence, it was another flat pitch with scores of 471, 465 and 364, before England chased down 371 comfortably.
However, within that, there were some barmy collapses which summed up Headingley perfectly. On day one, India made hay in the sun and closed on 359-3, before the clouds rolled in the following morning and they were bowled out for 471. Exactly the same happened to the tourists in the second innings.
With the forecast as it is, it will be fascinating to see how team and player runs lines are priced up in-play, and it’s one I’ll look at again in my evening previews.
But the bowlers should have more to work with than has been the case here all summer, and that will mean Archer is in business against a Pakistan batting line-up that is anything but trustworthy.
Preview posted at 11:45 BST on 17/08/2026
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