Slower from Broad and Sarfraz dispatches that for four through covers... just about, after two diving fielding efforts. He moves to six with a single.

And that's lunch. Very much England's morning, removing the Pakistan top four. Hard to criticise Sarfraz for the call to bat, because it had batting day written all over it. Turns out Root did well to lose the toss. Two wickets apiece for Broad and Woakes.

In comes the Pakistan skipper and he's quickly off the mark. Warm applause for Woakes as he heads back to the boundary.

Cook has a bobble but he grasps the outside edge! Woakes at the double. That's a mightily important wicket. FOW 62/4

Broad back in. Very nice pull shot from Shafiq brings up four, dispatched to deep midwicket. Lunch on the horizon.

A leg bye, a single for Shafiq, and now Salahuddin is facing Woakes. He looks comfortable enough. Very nice shortish delivery by Woakes but Salahuddin gets his bat out the way. Dangerous though...

...replays suggest there was a glove niggle. Hmm. England heard the noise but didn't appeal.

In comes Salahuddin on debut. Shafiq now facing Curran for his first ball after the end of the previous over. Chopped away off the last to backward point. That's the 50 for Pakistan.

Haris looks comfortable. Two more for him through the covers after a Shafiq single. Woakes persists, line and length, and Haris is gone! Outside edge, caught at second slip by Malan. That's also the over. FOW 49/3

Good chase by Buttler saves a boundary, cutting it off at deep point to limit Haris to a three. Shafiq adds a single and that'll be the over. Curran 0-13.

Another appeal, this time for Woakes, although height again is the issue. He gets a maiden though.

Curran starting to find his swing. Didn't trouble Haris. Interesting to see how Curran disguises it moving forward. Well-timed by Haris and he gets two, threaded square through the field. 

Big shout from everyone as it swings inwards for Curran, but not out and no review. Bit high.

Single for Shafiq, and then Woakes has Haris dancing on the spot. Was there a touch of back leg pad? Woakes not that fussed and it's hard to tell really.

Nothing else to report. Apart from I read this and out loud said "Whhhaattttt!"

Enter Sam Curran. Strike rate of 37.5 so far this season. It's not about his pace, by the way, but how much swing he can generate.

Touch of swing gets pushed through extra cover by Haris for two. And then that's a really nice drive for a boundary. No shame in that.

And they do get a break, Woakes for Anderson. Wide, high: Shafiq chases after one off the tail of his bat and gets enough on it for four.

That's followed by a full ball and a very nice cover drive. So not the best start for Woakes. Tidies things up a bit, straighter to start with, to keep the runs at eight. Sniffing an outside edge off the last but not there.

Time for drinks. Broad and Anderson bowling so well, but you'd imagine they will get a break soon. Shafiq adds a single and the run rate sits on 1.71.

Bairstow gets excited about a possible edge. Anderson muted. We proceed. Maidennnn.

Congratulations by the way to Alastair Cook, who now holds this remarkable record.

One off the over by Haris, a single to square. Pakistan's man on debut Usman Salahuddin is due in next. Bet he thought this morning he wouldn't see a bat until the afternoon.

A bit of a panic but Haris sends Shafiq back, no run there. Anderson very full and Shafiq responds with a delightful drive through the covers. Delicious.

Shafiq in for the second ball of the over and then gets off the mark through a dodgy edge to cover.

Two down! Azhar Ali contemplates a review but he's walking off, completely missed it looking at the replay. Broad really firing this morning. FOW 17/2

One leg bye off the last to add to Pakistan's tally. Azhar did cop one on the thigh during that over. Perhaps it's not settling down.

Single to midwicket from Azhar. And more runs from Haris, getting two through cover. Nice drive from Haris for his second boundary moves Pakistan into double figures, a sign of things settling down. Took the swing on that one and sent it to backward point.

Big edge off the last but it's over the cordon! Expensive over, 11 runs, but Broad's plan nearly came off perfectly.

Haris clips a low one through the slip cordon for four, no one at third man to stop that one. The outfield is quick too by the way, meaning anything like that gets away at speed.

Anderson starting to find his line, but finishes a little wide.

Sam, I envy you my friend.

Plenty of swing and seam. This is more fun than expected. Pakistan for now just hanging on in there. Another maiden.

A run! Good running as Azhar clips a single to midwicket, sprinting to safety. Anderson now coming around the wicket to Haris. Last ball flies back in, huge swing. Maybe it's not a batting day?

This is good from Broad. A couple of wider ones and then a lovely straightener nearly tempts an edge from Haris. Four straight maidens. Batting will happen at some point.

A second maiden for Anderson.

Back to Imam's wicket, he properly went for the fullest, widest ball of the day up to that point. That'll lift Broad's spirits.

In hindsight a very good review. Imam was on his tip toes, and outside his crease. Last ball and Imam flashes at a wide one, superb catch by Root at slip! Three balls later and Pakistan do lose their first wicket. 0/1

That's also the end of the second over.

Broad has struck! Might be high, Pakistan review. In fact it's way high. Shows how well the pitch carries. It stays 0/0.

Anderson begins proceedings from the Football Stand End. Touch of swing off the first ball, which will cheer him up. 

All with a touch of swing until a straighter one to finish off for a maiden. Promising though. Broad next up.

Right, a few minutes left, so here's a quick pep talk for Joe Root and the boys: Release the Kraken!

You need to get real. You need to get mad and get angry. You need to kick the backsides of some of your team-mates and get a reaction. Just don’t patronise us and treat the public as idiots with wishy-washy answers.

Jennings for Stoneman, Woakes for Wood and finally Curran, on debut, in for Stokes.

And they will bat. Sarfraz Ahmed happy with the flattish pitch. One change for them as Usman Salahuddin makes his debut.

Well, here's Scyld Berry's report from last month when Curran took the England captain's wicket in Surrey's meeting with Yorkshire.

Curran’s pace is little above 80 mph, but that does not matter if he can keep swinging it and develop a threatening bouncer that drives the batsman back before the one pitched up. 

To be honest, it's better than we initially expected. Nice and bright skies (batting day?)

Go away rain.

Is the big news before play starts. Sam Curran therefore gets the nod, the 19 year-old left-armer from Surrey. What a moment for the young man.

Good morning and welcome to Headingley.

England face the uncertainty of a last-minute fitness test for key all-rounder Ben Stokes as they bid for a series-squaring victory in Leeds.

With or without Stokes, however, captain Joe Root is adamant he and his team cannot afford to start feeling sorry for themselves.

As they seek victory over Pakistan to avoid a third successive series defeat, Root has given his full support to coach Trevor Bayliss and the players at their disposal to arrest a worrying slide.

England need everything to go right in Leeds - yet already, Stokes' hamstring injury means they may have another obstacle to overcome.

Without him, Sam Curran may make his debut - two days before his 20th birthday.

Either way, Root could perhaps be forgiven for ruing his luck, but he is not about to do that.

"There is no place for 'poor-me's' in international sport," said the Yorkshireman, whose team have lost six of their last eight matches - including a 4-0 Ashes trouncing.

"Sometimes you're a little low on confidence after a difficult winter - you've got to get over that. It's very easy to feel sorry for yourself when things aren't going well.

"(But) you look at the best players in the world, best captains in the world, I'm sure they have the approach of going out there and being determined to put it right - maybe being a little bit stubborn at times and maybe wanting to prove a point to certain people. I think that can be a really good driver for all the guys."

Bayliss has acquired his critics of late, but Root said: "I love working with Trev. I don't see why there is need for a change. We've been below par the last six months, and I think the easy thing is the knee-jerk reaction - change everything completely."

Root has no doubt England have the collective ability for dramatic improvement.

"Look at the players we have got - you tell me that Ben Stokes isn't a world-class player, that can win the game with bat and ball," he said. "Look at Dawid (Malan), the way he played in Perth. That's an unbelievable Test match hundred against a really good attack.

"There's plenty of evidence we have the players - it's just doing it consistently well over a long period of time. I have full confidence in that group. We have everything we need."