Harry Brook punished Pakistan for dropping him on the second ball of his typical aggressive and controlled innings that put England beyond the tourists’ reach when play ended on the second day at Headingley, Leeds, on Thursday.

Pakistan had shown signs of a comeback when Ali Usman and Khurram Shahzad dismissed overnight batters Jordan Cox and Joe Root, respectively, in a space of five deliveries as England slipped from 198 for two to 202 for four. Nine balls later, Pakistan had the opportunity to make it 205 for five for England, but Salman Ali Agha spilled Brook’s catch in the second slip off Khurram.

Brook pounced on the opportunity and scored a masterly 91 before falling to Ali Usman shortly before close. Ali Usman later claimed the scalps of Gus Atkinson and Olie Robsinson on successive deliveries to finish with figures 23-1-92-5.

Despite Ali Usman’s maiden five-fer, which also justified his selection, England finished in a more commanding, dominating and satisfying position at 366 for eight in reply to Pakistan’s 171. The hosts lead the tourists by 195 runs with two wickets still in hand.

On a rain-affected second day, England scored 254 runs from 57 overs, nearly at 4.5 runs per over – a reflection of Pakistan’s inept and pedestrian fast bowling attack that not only lacked pace but control and accuracy in overcast conditions.

Brook faced 93 balls and struck 13 fours. He had reached his 19th half-century from 55 balls with eight fours. This was the second time Brook had fallen in the 90s after scoring 99, also at Headingley, against India in last year.

Brook also has 10 centuries to his name, including four against Pakistan in Pakistan. He had scores of 153, 87, 9, 108, 111 (all in 2022) and 317 (in 2024) in his first six innings, before he struggled in the remaining two Tests on rank turners during the 2024, scoring 9, 16, 5 and 26. However, in his first innings at home against the same opponent on good and sporting playing conditions, Brook once again demonstrated his wide range of shots, excellent hand-and-eye coordination and ability to score quickly even off good deliveries to fully entertain a full-house and demoralise the bowlers.

Dan Lawrence also justified his return to Test cricket after two years when he scored 51 from 79 balls with nine fours. Together with Brook, Lawrence put on 120 runs for the unfinished fifth wicket from 151 balls.

Earlier, England resumed at 112 for two in reply to Pakistan’s 171 and moved to 198 before losing two wickets in five balls.

Jordan Cox, playing his second Test, was first to be dismissed when he edged Ali Usman into the gloves of Mohamad Rizwan but still reviewed the decision, which was struck down. Cox had started the day at 23 and scored 73 from 100 balls with 14 fours.

Root was next to go when he was struck below the knee roll and in front of the wickets off Khurram but still referred the decision to the third umpire, only to be embarrassed when replay on the giant screen showed the ball would have struck the centre of the middle stick. Root had resumed at 37 and was out after scoring 66 from 112 balls with 10 fours.

Root and Cox, who had joined hands at the score of 48, put on 150 runs for the third wicket from 207.

Left-arm spinner Ali Usman was the surprise package in the Test dominated by the pacers to date. After Josh Tongue and Ollie Robbinson equally shared the 10 Pakistan wickets between them, and Pakistan seamers Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Abbas and Khurram Shahzad took one wicket apiece, Ali Usman recorded a five-fer for the first time in his career.

Scores in brief (day 2 of 5):

Pakistan 171 all-out, 48.1 overs (Abdullah Shafique 61, Imam-ul-Haq 42, Salman Ali Agha 21; Josh Tongue 5-46, Ollie Robinson 5-51)

England (overnight 112-2, 25 overs) 366-8, 82 overs (Harry Brook 91, Jordan Cox 73, Joe Root 66, Dan Lawrence 51, Emilio Gay 33; Ali Usman 5-92)