LONDON (AP) — England tore out two Pakistan wickets by lunch after being all out for 290 on the second morning of the Lord's test on Friday.
Pakistan was 16-2 after losing its most in-form batter, Abdullah Shafique, in the last scheduled over before the interval.
Shafique drove at Josh Tongue and edged behind after clawing 5 runs from 32 balls.
Novice opener Azan Awais was 8 not out from 44 balls.
England thought it had Awais out three times.
He survived an England review before he scored, and overturned being given out on 7 when video showed Gus Atkinson's first delivery hit his shoulder. The luckless Atkinson then saw an edge by Awais on 8 dropped by Harry Brook at second slip.
Awais, in his sixth test, was digging in after scoring 0 and 9 in the first test defeat at Leeds last week.
He opened with Shan Masood, who was promoted up the order after Imam-ul-Haq was injured in the field on Thursday. The low grade left calf strain meant “his participation in the remainder of the test depends on treatment leading to recovery,” Pakistan said in a statement.
Unable to replace Imam in the lineup, Pakistan's chances of winning the test and tying the series were further diminished when Masood nicked behind to Jofra Archer on 1.
Archer greeted Shafique with a 92 mph (148 kph) bouncer that brushed his defensive glove and reached 94 mph (152 kph) in his five-over spell.
Tongue's wicket followed his career-best batting score of 30 not out.
He and Atkinson resumed England's innings on 248-9 and added 47 runs in their 10th-wicket partnership, 42 of them on Friday.
Pakistan medium-pacer Mohammad Abbas, on four wickets, tried his best for five. He had a tough, awkward catching chance against Atkinson in his follow through but dropped it.
Spinner Ali Usman eventually got Atkinson on 45, stopping England at 290 in 66.4 overs.
It swung the momentum from Pakistan, which has yet to score 200 in the three-test series and was missing the injured Imam.
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England's Gus Atkinson bats on day two of the second cricket test match between England and Pakistan in London, Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)
England's Jofra Archer celebrates the wicket of Pakistan's Shan Masood on day two of the second cricket test match between England and Pakistan in London, Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)
England's Jofra Archer, right, celebrates with teammates the wicket of Pakistan's Shan Masood on day two of the second cricket test match between England and Pakistan in London, Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)
The United Kingdom warned against any attempt by Israel to remove British officials from the Gaza ceasefire coordination center on Friday, after reports that Israel was considering expelling U.K. officials.
Meanwhile, an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza killed three people from the same family as the county continues its attacks despite a monthlong ceasefire brokered by the United States.
Here’s a look at the latest developments Friday in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.
The U.K. government said on Thursday that it remains committed to implementing the 20-point Gaza peace plan, and any move to remove its officials would “undermine shared efforts.”
The comments came in response to reports that Israel is considering expelling officials from Britain and other European nations from the monitoring center. The U.K. remains committed to “playing our part in improving the situation on the ground,” the British government told The Associated Press.
The Dutch Foreign Ministry on Thursday said Israel was removing two Dutch diplomats from the ceasefire center. Israel's Foreign Ministry said the decision was in response to a Dutch ban on the trade of Israeli products from the occupied West Bank and other “ anti-Israel measures.”
Two brothers and another relative were killed on Friday in an Israeli strike on the family’s home outside Khan Younis, officials at Nasser Hospital said. Israel's military said it was not aware of a strike in Khan Younis.
The three deaths were the latest in Gaza since an October ceasefire deal attempted to halt a more than two-year war between Israel and Hamas.
While the heaviest fighting has subsided, Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes, killing at least 1,303 Palestinians, according to health officials in Gaza. The agency's casualty records are generally considered reliable but don't provide a breakdown of civilians and militants.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Friday condemned a new round of U.S. economic measures against the country, calling them “economic terrorism” and saying Tehran would use all available means to counter them.
The ministry said the sanctions violated international law and called on other countries to refrain from implementing them. It accused Washington of using the U.S. dollar to pressure other countries into complying with its policies.
Earlier this week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent vowed to fully sever Iran from the global economy and threatened countries that continue to do business with Iran with secondary sanctions. It was part of the U.S. campaign to use economic pressure to try and wring concessions from Iran.
A pro-government demonstrator chants slogan during a gathering in a square in Tehran, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Children play at a beach as commercial vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (Amir Biazar/ISNA via AP)
Palestinians walk past a food-aid warehouse damaged in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a nearby house in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
