Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue shared all 10 wickets as England welcomed Joe Root’s return as Test captain with a dominant performance on the opening day at Headingley.
Just over six weeks since Ben Stokes’ dramatic Trent Bridge retirement, a chaotic episode that was quickly followed by Brendon McCullum’s removal as red-ball head coach, Root was back at the helm of a team deep in transition.
Root’s primary contribution on day one of the Rothesay Series was winning the toss on home soil and inserting the opposition under unsettled Yorkshire skies, but it was enough to set his side on the right track. Robinson and Tongue took care of the rest.
The tourists were rolled for 171 in 48.1 overs, Robinson kicking things off with a wicket off the very first ball of the day as he led the charge with figures of five for 51 and Tongue polishing off the lower order as he bagged five for 46.
England responded by reaching 112 for two, Root and Jordan Cox sharing an unbeaten half-century stand that shrunk the deficit to just 59 runs overnight.