Bad light halts play as England fights to 248-9 against Pakistan at Lord's

LONDON (AP) — England was 248-9 against Pakistan in the Lord’s test when bad light prematurely ended a first day that began late on Thursday.

Half-centuries by Jordan Cox and Jamie Smith underpinned a fighting total after England was threatened to be sunk for under 200.

The start of play was delayed for 80 minutes by heavy morning rain and when returning captain Babar Azam won the toss Pakistan immediately took advantage of muggy conditions under cloud cover.

England lost three wickets in the first hour, including linchpin Joe Root, and Harry Brook departed just before lunch.

Cox held England together as Pakistan's fielding mixed the sloppy with the sublime.

Pakistan dropped or missed three catches, the most costly involving Smith, whom wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan misjudged on 15. Smith went on to 61.

The sublime were spectacular one-handed diving catches by Rizwan to remove opener Emilio Gay and by Salman Ali Agha, the captain in the first test but dropped for the second to accommodate Babar. Agha, subbing for an injured Imam-ul-Haq, cartwheeled at second slip to finish Cox on 55.

Pace bowler Mohammad Abbas snatched the first three wickets in a lengthy morning eight-over spell, was unrewarded in the afternoon, and returned in the evening to bag Jofra Archer.

Abbas was on the brink of beating teammate Mohammad Ali to a Lord's five-for when the umpires pulled out the light meter with an hour of scheduled play remaining. Play never restarted. Only 56 overs were bowled.

See AP’s full cricket coverage here

England's Jamie Smith plays a shot during the second cricket test match between England and Pakistan in London, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

England's Emilio Gay, right, reacts after losing his wicket during the second cricket test match between England and Pakistan in London, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

Pakistan's Mohammad Abbas appeals successfully for the wicket of England's Ben Duckett, standing behind him, during the second cricket test match between England and Pakistan in London, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

England's Dan Lawrence fails to make his crease as Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan, right, prepares to collect the ball to run him out during the second cricket test match between England and Pakistan in London, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

England's Jamie Smith plays a shot during the second cricket test match between England and Pakistan in London, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

England's Jordan Cox celebrates his fifty runs during the second cricket test match between England and Pakistan in London, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

Rain covers are on the playing surface at the Lord's cricket ground ahead of the second cricket test match between England and Pakistan in London, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Israeli military carried out a massive military operation in the occupied West Bank over the weekend, displacing hundreds of Palestinians and placing major restrictions on Palestinian movement, in response to a gun attack that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others in Hebron on Friday.

The operation comes as Israel enters the final days before a tense election, which is largely seen as a referendum on current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership and security policies during the past three years of war.

Most Palestinian workers with permits will not be allowed to enter Israeli communities for work in the occupied West Bank on Sunday and Monday, and crossings into Israel will remain closed until after Israel’s elections on Tuesday, the Israeli military said.

The military said it operated in more than 400 different locations over the weekend and arrested 40 Palestinians it claimed were affiliated with Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The operation displaced hundreds of families, forcing some to navigate crossings on foot after the roads were closed to traffic. At some military gates, people passed sacks of flour and gas canisters through the gates, while an elderly man pushed his wife in a wheelchair through an opening beside one of them. Another family attempted to navigate the gate to access medical appointments.

After Friday's attack, Israel’s military said it found weapons in the gunmen’s car and that they were likely planning to attack Israeli civilians before being stopped at the checkpoint.

The military said that troops were “conducting precise, targeted and thorough searches” in the area where the gunmen operated, and warned residents to evacuate Deir Bahha, the suspected gunmen’s neighborhood.

Hebron municipal officials said between 200 and 300 families had been displaced from Deir Bahha and four surrounding neighborhoods overnight, most going to other parts of the city.

Six Israelis have been killed this year in attacks in the West Bank, which is experiencing a surge of violence. During the same period, 112 Palestinians have been killed, including the suspected gunmen, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Health Ministry.

The attack sparked outrage in Israel, with Netanyahu and three members of his right-wing government giving statements from the site of the attack on Friday afternoon, vowing to respond forcefully. “We warned a few weeks ago about attempts by our enemies to harm us, our citizens and our soldiers ahead of the election,” Netanyahu said. “We will act to destroy this place.”

Netanyahu is under pressure to demonstrate a strong show of force against Palestinian attackers to bolster his image for Israelis concerned with security.

Roughly 3 million Palestinians and 540,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, which Israel occupied in the 1967 Mideast war. Hebron is one of its most tense cities and the only place where Jewish settlers live in the heart of a densely populated Palestinian area under Israeli military protection.

Metz reported from Hebron, West Bank.

Israeli soldiers take up positions during an army operation in the West Bank city of Hebron Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. A day after a Palestinian shooting attack in the area. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Israeli soldiers close a gate to vehicles during an army operation in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, a day after a Palestinian shooting attack in the area. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Israeli soldiers take up positions during an army operation in the West Bank city of Hebron Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. A day after a Palestinian shooting attack in the area. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Palestinian men sit at a road, blocked in an effort to prevent Israeli settlers from entering the area, after settlers were spotted nearby in the West Bank town of Sinjil, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Palestinians transport bags of semolina past a military gate closed to vehicles during an Israeli army operation in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, a day after a Palestinian shooting attack in the area. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)