England win toss, bat first against Pakistan

LONDON:  England captain Joe Root won the toss and chose to bat in the first test against Pakistan in overcast conditions at Lord´s on Thursday.

"It probably looks on the surface like bowling conditions but it´s very dry underneath, and it looks like it´s already starting to crack and it may play into our favour," Root said.

England awarded a test debut to 20-year-old off-spinner Dom Bess, who was preferred to pace bowler Chris Woakes.

Pakistan opted for Hasan Ali as their fourth seamer.

Teams

England - Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, Joe Root (captain), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Mark Wood, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, James Anderson

Pakistan - Azhar Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Haris Sohail, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed (captain and wicketkeeper), Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas(Reporting by Ed Osmond, editing by Nick Mulvenney)