LONDON: Pakistan struck early with pacer Mohammad Abbas picking up thewicket of Mark Stoneman in the Test being played at Lord’s on Thursday.

The second wicket fell when Hasan Ali picked up the wicket of Joe Root.

Earlier, England captain Joe Root won the toss and elected to bat in theagainst.

England gave a debut to 20-year-old Somerset off-spinner Dominic Bess andincluded fast bowler Mark Wood in their XI, with pace bowling all-rounderChris Woakes missing out after being selected in a 12-man squad.

Pakistan made one change to the side that beat Test debutants Ireland byfive wickets in Dublin last week, with Hasan Ali replacing left-arm pacemanRahat Ali for the first of this two-Test series.

This match saw England opener Alastair Cook equal Australia great AllanBorder´s all-time record of playing in 153 consecutive Tests.

England were looking to bounce back after a difficult southern hemispheretour where they failed to win in seven combined Tests in Australia and NewZealand.Teams*Pakistan*

Azhar Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Haris Sohail. Asad Shafiq, babar Azam, SarfrazAhmed (c), Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir, MohammadAbbas.*England*

AN Cook, MD Stoneman, JE Root (c), DJ Malan, JM Bairstow, BA Stokes, JCButtler, DM Bess, SCJ Broad, JM Anderson, MA Wood.

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For seven members of the touring Pakistan side, today’s opening fixturewill be the first time they have played a match at the ´home of cricket´.Mohammad Amir, wicket-keeper captain Sarfraz and batsmen Azhar Ali and AsadShafiq have all played at the London headquarters of Marylebone CricketClub.

Speaking to reporters at Lord’s on Wednesday, a confident Sarfraz said hewants the side´s quartet of senior players to help take the pressure offthe rest of the team.

“Yes, the senior players in the team have to show responsibility,” he said.”We have to lead from the front, we have more responsibility to give a goodplatform so that the new players take it from there.”

Pakistan, seventh in the Test rankings, come into this game on the back ofa five-wicket win over Test debutants in Ireland, where the conditions weresimilar to those they could face at Lord´s if confronted with a typicalearly-season English pitch offering seam movement and some overcast skies.

“As a team we have more confidence because that was our first big match,”said Sarfraz. “The way new players put up a good performance that helped usgain confidence.”

One of those new players was Test debutant Imam-ul-Haq

Some pundits attacked the 22-year-old left-hander´s inclusion in the toursquad on nepotism grounds given Imam is the nephew of Pakistan selectionchief and former Test batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq.

But Imam has answered his critics with three fifties to date this tour,including a match-clinching 74 not out on the last day against Ireland thatrescued Pakistan from the depths of 14 for three.

Sarfraz said it was important Pakistan treated the match like any other anddid not play the likes of England stalwarts Alastair Cook, Stuart Broad andJames Anderson on their reputations.

“They (England) have experienced players but I have told my players not toget worried about that,” he explained. “Take it as a domestic match, theway you have got into the team after performing well in domestic matches,play without fear and play your best game.

“The worse will be that we lose this match, but this is a young team, sevenof our players will be playing at Lord´s for the first time, so that initself an honour.

“If these youngsters do well here and gain confidence then it will be goodfor their future and for the Pakistan team.”

Sarfraz, a key member of the Pakistan side that drew 2-2 in a four-Testseries in England two years ago, accepted the hosts would be tough to beaton their own soil.

But he also said there was an opportunity for Pakistan given England failedto win any of their seven most recent Tests, in Australia and New Zealand.England’s troubles

A toothless bowling attack, brittle opening batting partnership and callowspin options leave England with much to prove in the home Tests againstPakistan.

Joe Root will lead out the side at Lord´s, desperate to put behind him aheavy Ashes defeat in Australia and a rare loss to New Zealand which haveleft England in a state of flux and fifth in the world Test rankings.

James Anderson, 35, and 31-year-old Stuart Broad are still the mainstays ofa pace attack which struggled to make inroads in the Australian top order.

Although they have taken over 900 Test wickets between them, Anderson andBroad are nearing the end of their stellar careers and England need MarkWood, their quickest bowler, Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes to shoulder moreresponsibility