The China Mail - England bid to banish booze woes as Pakistan seek self-respect

The hosts ought to be in utterly buoyant mood after returning captain Joe Root oversaw an innings and 103-run thrashing of Pakistan inside three days at his Headingley homeground last week.

But rather than speak about England's progress, Root spent much of a pre-match press conference talking about Brydon Carse, dropped from the squad and now under investigation by the Cricket Regulator after videos on social media showed the fast bowler being led away by police in handcuffs following an incident at a Derby nightclub on Saturday.

This is the latest in a series of alcohol-fuelled controversies that have dogged England since a disastrous 2025/26 tour of New Zealand and Australia.

Both former captain Ben Stokes -- who has since retired from all international cricket -- and paceman Gus Atkinson were stood down in June from the second Test at home to New Zealand following an incident at a London bar which came after they broke a curfew policy that has now been ditched by Root.

Carse did not feature at Headingley, and was unlikely to play at Lord's barring injury, but his conduct led a frustrated Root to say Tuesday: "If I'm being brutally honest, I'm really hacked off...It's not the isolated incident itself, it's the fact we continuously keep making stupid mistakes away from the game and it's detracting from what we are doing on the field."

England, with seamers Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue taking eight wickets apiece, skittled out Pakistan for just 171 and 135 in the first Test while posting 409 themselves, even though none of their four batsmen who reached fifty, a quartet including Root, went on to a century.

Nevertheless, it was a professional display lacking the self-indulgent extravagances that characterised England's cricket in the closing stages of the Bazball era under Stokes and Brendon McCullum, sacked as Test coach following the series loss to New Zealand.

- Pakistan 'hopeful' over Babar Azam -

By contrast, Pakistan were deficient in all departments with their inadequate batting compounded by an inaccurate and largely unthreatening pace attack as well as embarrassingly shoddy fielding.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam, however, could return at Lord's from a finger injury initially sustained during the tour of the West Indies and later exacerbated when he was hit on the hand during a warm-up game at Beckenham.

"We're hopeful he will be available for the game and today (Tuesday) he was looking good; he batted well in the nets," said Pakistan bowling coach Umar Gul. "He had a full batting session."

Azam was Pakistan's top run-scorer in the West Indies, with 193 runs during a drawn two-Test series.

He has also enjoyed success in England, with three fifties in six innings while averaging 65.75.

Azan Awais may make way if Azam returns at number four, with one of Shan Masood or Abdullah Shafique moving up the order to open.

Pakistan, who only a decade ago were Test cricket's top-ranked side, have won their last two Tests at Lord's, with Azam making 68 during a nine-wicket rout of England in 2018.

But even though Pakistan have a longstanding reputation for veering between astonishing highs and lows, a vast improvement will be required if they are to level this three-match series.

"We'll have to learn from the mistakes we made in the previous game," said Gul. "If you want to win a Test match, you have to perform in all departments. One can't be carrying the other."

Meanwhile, with England having won just three of their last 11 Tests, a wary Root said: "We know the individual brilliance that lies within that team and what Pakistan are capable of collectively.

"We also know that whenever we play anyone at Lord's, they generally raise their game. This (England) group won't be taking anything for granted."

B.Carter--ThChM