For three parties that have hit the headlines for the wrong reasons so far in this cricketing summer, here was a day of partial image rehabilitation. Neither England nor Pakistan could claim at all to be totally in the ascendancy, but each side could be pleased with their efforts after a week of strain and scrutiny – off the field, in the case of the former, and on it for the tourists. After a mismatch at Headingley came a much more even contest between two teams looking more like equals; a good toss to win made use of by Pakistan in helpful bowling conditions, but England scrapping their way up to something resembling par to close at 248/9.
For Lord’s, too, this was a welcome occasion. Fears of a wipeout from the weather – and accompanying compensation – did not materialise, while the most scrutinised 22 yards in the country delivered a better balance between bat and ball. This surface may be on the slow side, but there was none of the undue movement and variability of bounce that had blighted and truncated the New Zealand Test in June.
