Josh Tongue explains England's 'brave' approach behind Pakistan collapse

Josh Tongue said England's bowlers had to be brave with their lengths after Pakistan were dismissed for 171 at Headingley. His five-wicket haul, alongside Ollie Robinson's return spell, left England 112/2 and firmly in control.Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue claimed five wickets each as England bowled Pakistan out for 171. (Photo: Reuters)Josh Tongue, the England fast bowler, believes being brave with their lengths was central to England's dominant bowling display against Pakistan on Day 1 at Headingley. Tongue took 5/53 as England bowled Pakistan out for 171 before reaching 112/2 by stumps.England had won the toss and chose to bowl in overcast conditions, with Ollie Robinson striking with the first ball before adding Shan Masood soon after. Reflecting on England's approach, Tongue said the movement on offer made it important to keep attacking the stumps.ENG vs PAK, 1st Test Day: HIGHLIGHTS"Obviously it was nipping quite a bit this morning. Even with some of the balls they played and missed, it was going quite a lot," Tongue told broadcasters. "So I think it was just being brave with your length. I think that was quite crucial on this wicket, and trying to keep the stumps in his play as much. I think the balls and LBW is going to be quite crucial towards the back end of this game."The conditions initially made life difficult for Pakistan, who slipped early before Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq added 91 for the third wicket. But once Imam fell for 48, England quickly regained control, with Robinson removing Shafique for 47 and Tongue running through Pakistan's lower order.ROBINSON LEADS THE WAY Robinson was outstanding on his return, claiming his fifth Test five-wicket haul and finishing with 5/42. His first-ball dismissal of Azan Awais set the tone, while Shan Masood's wicket in his third over left Pakistan struggling at 14/2.Rain then interrupted proceedings and brought an early lunch, giving Pakistan some respite. Shafique and Imam used the post-break conditions well, but their partnership was eventually broken when Tongue found Imam's edge.Saud Shakeel's dismissal added to Pakistan's frustration. He was given out lbw to Robinson but waited too long to review, with ball-tracking later showing the delivery would have missed leg stump.TONGUE FINISHES THE JOBTongue found greater consistency as the innings progressed and produced one of the deliveries of the day when he jagged one back sharply at around 91mph to hit the stumps.Pakistan lost their last eight wickets for 74 runs and were bowled out for 171, their lowest first-innings Test total in a decade. Tongue finished with his fourth Test five-wicket haul, while Robinson's 5/42 gave England two five-wicket hauls in the same innings.The quick bowler also felt his preparation had held up despite the short turnaround from The Hundred to Test cricket."Yeah, body's all good. It's obviously a very quick turnaround. But it's been quite nice to have Gus in the same dressing room as me," Tongue said."We were making sure our bowling loads were high enough leading into this Test match and getting the extra work done. So yeah, all good."England then lost Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay in their reply, but Joe Root and Jordan Cox steadied the innings. They ended the day on 112/2, leaving England just 59 runs behind Pakistan's first-innings total.The hosts will now look to turn that advantage into a significant first-innings lead when play resumes, with the pitch expected to continue offering assistance to the bowlers.- EndsPublished By: Debodinna ChakrabortyPublished On: Aug 20, 2026 08:11 IST