England-Pakistan Test Delayed by Rain at Lord's

Lord’s woke up to low cloud, damp covers and a mood to match. The second Test between England and Pakistan is on hold, the toss pushed back to 11:30 BST and the start rescheduled for midday, with groundstaff fighting to dry out a surface that has taken a soaking.

The England players killed time in the most modern of Lord’s warm-ups: a football kickabout on the outfield, boots skidding on grass that still carried the memory of overnight rain.

Out in the middle, the pitch told its own story.

A green, soft surface and a “nibbler” in waiting

Michael Vaughan took a close look at the strip on Thursday and did not like what he felt underfoot.

“I went across the wicket yesterday and there is a green tinge and it feels quite soft,” the former England captain said on Test Match Special. “I don't think it will have any pace. I think it will be a nibbler.”

For fast bowlers, that’s an invitation. For batters, especially openers, it is a quiet threat. The ball might not fly through, but it will talk. Seam, movement, uncertainty. The sort of surface where edges find hands and patience becomes currency.

The weather radar offers a sliver of hope. BBC lead weather presenter Ben Rich reported “a band of rain which is pushing northwards”, with clouds expected to break to allow “some sunny spells”. The sting in the tail? Storm clouds could bubble up again this afternoon, bringing the scattered showers and thunderstorms that stalk so many English summer days.

So Lord’s waits. The covers are mostly off, the rain has eased, but the outfield and square still need time. This is cricket in England: schedules written in ink, rewritten in water.

Cox’s “only chance” and the Joe Root effect

While the ground dries, the echoes of the first Test still hang in the air – especially for Jordan Cox, who spoke with the wide-eyed honesty of a player still pinching himself.

“It was an incredible fixture, wasn't it?” the England batter told Sky Sports. “It started incredibly well, especially with the ball. Those fast bowlers, let's just say we were lucky that we don't have to face them every week. They put on an absolute clinic, didn't they?”

Facing Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue in the nets, Cox said, is its own education. Brutal, yes. But the kind of brutality that sharpens careers.

“To face them in the nets is awesome. Facing Jofra and Tongue in the nets, you're only going to get better.”

His own dismissal still stings. “I was devastated when I got out. I was saying to myself 'this could be your only chance'. That ball unfortunately hit my pad. I didn't feel anything. I thought I'd go upstairs and I have never done it before - it was good fun!”

There was a lighter note in that last line, but the underlying message is clear: this stage matters. Every innings can feel like a referendum on your future.

Cox also tried to put into words what it is like to bat with Joe Root, and almost failed.

“It's hard to put into words how Joe is. People say so calm and so composed. To bat with Joe and my goal was to try bat longer than Joe.”

Root’s presence at the crease has become a barometer of England’s mood. Which is why one word, attributed to him this week, cut through the usual chatter like a bouncer.

“Hacked off” and a shift in the Bazball mood

Under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, England’s Test side has been a wild ride. Aggressive, liberated, occasionally reckless. Vaughan, who has watched this new era from the commentary box, summed it up bluntly.

“Under Ben and Baz it was an incredible ride, but it has always been quite loose. When you start losing, and you carry on with that vibe, that's when the problem becomes.”

Then came the phrase that made English cricket sit up.

“The words ‘hacked off’ suddenly sent a shiver around the whole game of English cricket. If Joe Root is hacked off, then you know there's a real problem.”

Root is not a man given to public outbursts or cheap drama. If he is frustrated, it suggests the balance between freedom and responsibility is under strain. The looseness that looked like genius when the wins flowed can start to feel like indulgence when the results tighten.

Lord’s, with its members in egg-and-bacon ties and its long memory, is an unforgiving place to look disjointed.

Babar Azam returns to steady Pakistan’s middle order

When the toss finally happens, there will be a familiar figure walking out alongside Root. Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been passed fit after a hand injury ruled him out of the first Test at Headingley, and he will slot back into the tourists’ middle order.

At Leeds, Salman Ali Agha deputised. He now steps aside for the man who remains Pakistan’s batting anchor and their tactical heartbeat. On a green, soft Lord’s surface under heavy skies, Babar’s technique and temperament will be tested from ball one.

England know what he can do here. So does Lord’s. His return adds weight to a contest that already carries enough subplots to fill a wet morning.

Carse controversy clouds England’s build-up

Not all of England’s distractions are weather-related. As the rain moved across London, a very different kind of storm gathered around Brydon Carse.

Derbyshire Police are investigating an incident in which the England bowler was handcuffed outside a nightclub in Derby on Saturday. Images on social media showed the 31-year-old in handcuffs, surrounded by police officers, during a night out.

He was briefly arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has confirmed the matter will be investigated by the Cricket Regulator. Carse has been removed from the England squad for this Test as a result.

He remains in action for Durham, named in their side for the County Championship match against Gloucestershire starting today at Chester-le-Street, where Durham are set to bowl.

For Jonathan Agnew, the incident cuts deeper than a single night gone wrong.

“This is quite serious because it undermines everything that everybody is trying to do for the good of cricket,” the BBC’s chief cricket commentator said on Test Match Special. “When you have been lucky enough to play at this sort of level, it is the proudest moment of your life. You shouldn't need reminding about your behaviour. This is part of the territory.”

In an era when cricket fights for space in a crowded sporting landscape, these are the headlines the game can ill afford.

Waiting for the first ball

So Lord’s waits. The covers edge back. The clouds thin, then thicken again. Players stretch, jog, joke, and glance up at the sky a little too often.

When play does start, it will begin on a surface with a green tinge, under a captain in Root who is clearly demanding more control from his side, against a Pakistan team strengthened by the return of Babar Azam and fuelled by the sense that English cricket is juggling more than just the weather.

The toss is delayed, the start pushed back, but the questions around this England side are right on time.