LEEDS, England (AP) — England's all-seam attack has captain Joe Root stoked about what more they can achieve after swatting aside Pakistan in the first test at Headingley on Friday.
England won by an innings and 103 runs inside three days. Pakistan was bowled out for 171 and 135 against England's 409.
Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue took eight wickets each, Jofra Archer grabbed three on Friday, and Gus Atkinson one. Batting allrounder Dan Lawrence bowled one over of off-spin, a maiden, to break up the barrage of seam on a fair pitch.
Robinson, in his first test since June, and Archer played together in a test for the first time. They handled the new ball.
Tongue and Atkinson won the Hundred for Manchester Super Giants in the final last Sunday and had only one day of training for the test.
The in-and-out Robinson has played the most tests, 22, and Atkinson the least, 13. If they can all stay fit — always a big if — the home Ashes series against Australia is less than a year away.
“It's very exciting because I still think they don't know how good they are yet and what they're capable of, and I think that's a great place to be when you can put in performances like that,” Root said.
“An attack with that kind of variety, different things to call upon at different times in the game ... and as well the fact they bowled well in partnerships.”
Root was no less happy with the batting in the bowler-friendly conditions. Jordan Cox replaced the injured Jacob Bethell at first drop and Lawrence was recalled for the first time in two years to try and fill the allrounder spot vacated by the retired Ben Stokes.
Both contributed half-centuries: Cox (73) and Lawrence (51) beside Root (66) and Harry Brook (91).
“We found a really good tempo, managing the phases,” Root said.
"Jordan Cox coming in at three and playing with such control, such a calm nature.
"Dan coming in at six and getting a score like he did, Brooky showing why he's the best player in the world. Lots of good stuff to take into Lord's (second test) and start the series.”
Root's decisions as captain were also on song, right from winning the toss and choosing to bowl. Root said before the match he didn't want to try to captain like Stokes. It would be too hard to try, anyway, he added.
Stokes imploded and quit while losing the home series to New Zealand 2-1 in June, and Root was given the armband because of his sensibility. He welcomed the chance to improve on his first stint as permanent captain from 2017-22, the burden of which during the COVID-19 pandemic dragged him down.
Typically, Root turned the focus on teammates rather than himself.
“You can set whatever fields you want, the bowlers have still got to deliver,” he told the BBC. "Sometimes you've set fields for different reasons, sometimes it works out exactly how you see it.
"You're always trying to make plays and find wickets. The guys executed brilliantly, we caught beautifully as well which is important.
“I thought we showed maturity actually in how to manage the conditions and it's a big reason we’re here now.”
See AP’s full cricket coverage here
England's Ben Duckett, bottom, catches out Pakistan's Shan Masood on day three of the first Test match between England and Pakistan in Leeds, England, Friday Aug. 21, 2026. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
England's Gus Atkinson celebrates taking the wicket of Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan on day three of the first Test match between England and Pakistan in Leeds, England, Friday Aug. 21, 2026. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
England's Josh Tongue, right, celebrates bowling out Pakistan's Shan Masood on day three of the first Test match between England and Pakistan in Leeds, England, Friday Aug. 21, 2026. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s government on Friday rejected allegations by the family and party of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan that he was being subjected to “cruelty, mental torture, punitive solitary confinement and medical neglect” as baseless, saying the accusations weren't supported by prison and medical records.
Khan isn't being held under a government order, but as a “convicted prisoner” serving sentences imposed by courts following judicial proceedings, the Ministry of Information said in a written response to The Associated Press.
The government’s response came hours after Khan’s family and opposition party accused authorities of violating a Supreme Court order by taking him to a government hospital for a medical examination instead of a private hospital designated by the court.
Khan’s sister, Uzma Khan, told a news conference that she was at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, a government-run hospital in Islamabad, when her brother was brought there overnight.
Khan’s sister said that during a meeting with her, Khan complained that he had been kept in solitary confinement, which she said amounted to mental torture for him. Suhail Afridi, a senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, also accused the government of violating the order by taking Khan to the public hospital.
Khan’s personal physician, Dr. Faisal Sultan, said that he had been escorted to Shifa International Hospital, where he waited for Khan until early Friday. Sultan said he was eventually told that Khan had been returned to Adiala prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
Earlier, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said earlier Friday that Khan had been returned to prison after doctors examined him and found him medically fit.
The ministry also rejected allegations that Khan was being held in solitary confinement or denied meaningful contact with his family. It said that Khan had received more than 900 visits from family members, lawyers, doctors, political representatives and other approved visitors since his imprisonment in 2023. It said that he also has been allowed weekly meetings with his wife, and telephone, landline and WhatsApp contact with relatives in Pakistan and abroad.
According to the ministry, Khan’s most recent recorded telephone conversation with one of his sons was on March 21. It said that Khan’s sisters had met him as recently as Aug. 18 and 19.
The government said Khan has access to reading material and television, and is allowed home-cooked food and exercise equipment and “maintains a healthy diet.” It said, however, that access to Khan couldn't be used to send political messages from prison.
The ministry rejected allegations of medical neglect, saying Khan had undergone about 30 examinations by specialists and medical boards from institutions including PIMS, Shifa International Hospital, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, in addition to regular examinations by the prison doctor.
The ministry said Uzma Khan had herself acknowledged at Friday’s news conference that her brother was “100% fit,” with blood pressure of 120/80 and his eye condition almost completely healed.
It also disputed descriptions of Khan’s detention conditions, saying he was being held in a seven-cell compound with sleeping, sanitation and exercise facilities, and was provided separately prepared meals that included meat, chicken, fruit, milk, nuts, juices and bottled water.
The government insists that authorities took Khan to the public hospital because of security concerns involving supporters of Khan’s PTI party who had gathered outside Shifa International Hospital or were heading there. He said that Khan was found to be in good health.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that Khan be examined at Shifa International Hospital by a medical board that included specialists and one of his personal physicians.
Concerns about Khan’s health intensified in late January, after his family said that he had lost about 85% of the vision in his right eye, which the government disputed. Authorities later said that his condition was improving.
The former cricket star turned politician was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022 and has been imprisoned since 2023 after being convicted in multiple cases.
FILE - Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan gives a press conference at his home, in Lahore, Pakistan, on May 18, 2023. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary, File)
Police officers take a position outside the Shifa International Hospital, where imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan will be transferred for a medical examination following Pakistan's Supreme Court order, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Police officers arrive to take position outside the Shifa International Hospital, where imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan will be transferred for a medical examination following Pakistan's Supreme Court order, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
A medical person enters Shifa International Hospital, where imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan will be transferred for a medical examination following Pakistan's Supreme Court order, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's sister Uzma Khan, left, speaks as Khan's personal physician Faisal Sultan watches during a press conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
