Pakistan's batting struggles persist in England, marking 16 years without a 50-plus score from an opener.

Pakistan's ongoing difficulties in establishing a solid opening partnership during Test matches in England have now extended to an alarming 16 years. The team has not managed to achieve a 50-run opening stand in their last 27 Test innings on English soil, with their last successful partnership of this kind dating back to 2010. This persistent issue resurfaced during the first Test against England at Headingley in Leeds.

In both innings of the match, Pakistan's openers faltered once again. In the first innings, Azan Awais faced a challenging debut, dismissed for a duck by Ollie Robinson on the very first ball of the series. Robinson's delivery sharply angled back from around the wicket, catching Awais off guard. Shortly after, Shan Masood followed suit, scoring just five runs and leaving Pakistan in a precarious position at 6-2.

The second innings brought further disappointment for the Pakistani side, as Imam-ul-Haq also fell for a duck, this time to Jofra Archer. This continued failure meant that Pakistan remained without a 50-plus opening partnership, compounding their woes.

Despite the early setbacks, Pakistan showed signs of recovery in their first innings. After a two-hour rain delay, Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique formed a promising 91-run partnership for the third wicket. Imam contributed 42 runs, while Shafique added 61. However, the team could not sustain this momentum, collapsing from a solid 117-3 to a total of 171 all out. England's pace bowlers, particularly Ollie Robinson with figures of 5-51 and Josh Tongue with 5-46, effectively dismantled the Pakistani batting lineup.

England capitalized on their strong bowling performance, finishing the first day of the match with a score of 112-2, just 59 runs behind Pakistan. Joe Root, who has resumed captaincy duties following Ben Stokes' retirement, remained unbeaten on 37, while Jordan Cox was not out at 23. As England took control of the match, Pakistan's long-standing issue with their opening partnerships loomed large, leaving the team with a significant challenge ahead.