BUMBLE AT THE TEST: Very odd to 'rest' Archer and go with a one-paced attack in second Test

An unapologetically tried and trusted attack did the business for England on the first day of the second Test against Pakistan, with James Anderson leading from the front at the Ageas Bowl.

All four pace bowlers enjoyed success as the tourists’ decision to bat first led them down a dead end to 126 for five, with Anderson taking the first two wickets to double his haul from last week’s win in Manchester. 

Here, Sportsmail’s David Lloyd gives us his take on the proceedings on day one.

I can’t keep pace with Jofra

The plot thickens. Stuart Broad was left out the last time England were at the Ageas Bowl for the first Test against West Indies. 

One of the all-time greats was dropped. 

Now Jofra Archer has been ‘rested’. It can’t possibly be because of workload. And to replace him with Sam Curran means England went in with a largely one-paced attack again. All very odd.

Dodgy call and dodgy boiler…

I was just settling down in front of the telly to watch the first day’s play and the phone rang with one of those cold calls.

Usually they are trying to tell you that you’ve had an accident that wasn’t your fault. 

But this time I was asked if I had a dodgy boiler at home. I just said: ‘No, she’s just gone out…’ For some reason he put the phone down…

…and it led to moor problems

I’d already had a difficult morning. It may be hot and sultry down there in Southampton but I drove from home in Cheshire wending my way over the M62 into Yorkshire. By the time I got to Saddleworth Moor it was touching the giddy heights of 16 degrees! And it was foggy too! It was down to 40mph on the motorway.

Zak back does Root a favour

Very pleased to see Zak Crawley back in the England team. He has been a victim of consequences being left out only because Ben Stokes hasn’t been fully fit to bowl. 

Crawley is an exciting talent and I’d like to see him given a good run now like Ollie Pope has had. 

It was a positive selection all-round because it will allow Joe Root to go back to batting at four where he is not only happiest but also looks miles better.

I’ve got to get used to Alice 

I know hairdressers have been victims of lockdown but watching the England team on Thursday was like going back in time. It was all a bit retro. 

I was reminded of the ’70s and Dennis Lillee’s flowing mane. Then there was Beefy Botham’s mullet. And Mike Selvey had so much hair you could just about see his eyes. He was like Neanderthal Man! 

The Alice band seems to be de rigeur these days. Alice? Alice? Who the heck is Alice?

The cat’s got gift of the jab

We’ve not heard much from this column’s old friend Bob ‘The Cat’ Bevan so far in this bio-secure summer but I understand there’s a good reason for that. 

Apparently, Bob has been working on a vaccine for coronavirus alongside his old mate Richard Stilgoe. 

He’s the best man for the job — Bob also helped his friend Sir Alexander Fleming discover penicillin. 

Jimmy Past It? Nip it in the bud

I did have a chuckle about speculation over Jimmy Anderson’s future. 

Make no mistake, he’s England’s greatest ever bowler and 38 years of age is just a number. Jimmy is still like a whippet in the field, he’s athletic and agile and he’s still bowling quick. 

People say that when bowlers are ‘past it’ they lose their nip. 

Well, Anderson’s nip has never been more pronounced than it is now. He’s absolutely fine. Get off his back!