LORD’S — What England would have given for someone batting like Jordan Cox did here during the opening Ashes Test at Perth last November.
If someone, anyone, then had shown the application he displayed on the opening day of this second Test against Pakistan at Lord’s, maybe the series in Australia would have been different.
Obviously, it’s a huge if. Australia with a rampaging Mitchell Starc are a completely different proposition to this Pakistan attack.
Yet Cox’s runs that held together the hosts’ first innings were tough and ground out over a prolonged period in conditions that might have blown away previous iterations of this England team.
Cox had to show different gears in challenging Lord’s conditions (Photo: Getty)Apologies for dredging up the trauma of Perth, where England looked set fair for a pivotal win at lunch on the second day, when they were leading by 99 with nine second-innings wickets in hand. Instead, they lost nine for 99 and the Test was done by the end of the day.
No batter in that second-innings at Perth batted for more than Ollie Pope’s 57 balls. Pope was England’s No 3 that day.
Cox, England’s latest No 3 in the absence of the injured Jacob Bethell, personified the approach England had been crying out for in the latter stages of the Bazball era, grinding out 55 from 105 balls to stop his team from imploding.
“Bazball with brains,” was the refrain of so many who longed for the team coached by Brendon McCullum to show some grit when the going got tough.
Cox, knuckling down after scoring 38 from his first 38 deliveries, personified the more measured approach England might take when new coach Stephen Fleming takes charge for this winter’s tour of South Africa.
The Essex batter, despite this only being his third Test, is already nailed on for a place in England’s XI for that series.
Having started so well despite England collapsing to 36 for three early in his innings, Cox reassessed conditions and cut his cloth accordingly. On a slow pitch that was offering significant seam movement, trying to be too expansive was fraught with danger.
Harry Brook found that out to his cost when he was bowled for 15 by Mohammad Ali.
Mohammad Ali gets Harry Brook with a brilliant delivery! Four wickets in the morning session for Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/hYYObuUsxt
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) August 27, 2026Even captain Joe Root struggled, making four off 13 balls before he became the third of Mohammad Abbas’ four victims.
After his fast start, Cox failed to score off his next 14 deliveries. His half-century, his second in succession after 73 in last week’s innings win at Leeds, came in 88 balls.
This came after a period when England went 92 deliveries without scoring a boundary. Boring? Maybe. But if Cox had not toughed it out, England might have been rolled for 150 rather than ending a rain-hit day on 248 for nine.
When he did eventually depart, Cox edging Khurram Shahzad and falling victim to a brilliant one-handed catch by sub fielder Salman Agha, it was a very good ball. Indeed, the delivery swung two degrees in the air – the most of any Cox faced on the day.
Jamie Smith’s 61 from 80 balls was also an important innings – not least for the wicketkeeper-batter whose form with the bat has suffered since end of last summer.
Well, that is sensational pic.twitter.com/TnMfjGCBzy
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 27, 2026Yet it’s an innings that would not have been possible without the platform laid by Cox.
It was a performance that was perhaps the template for how this team need to operate from now on to win the biggest series.
Graham Gooch, who gave the pre-match talk in the England huddle before this first day at Lord’s, was certainly impressed.
“Jordan has got all the talent,” the Essex and England great told the BBC.
“He needs to turn talent into numbers. And what I’ve been really impressed with here is he has shown you can score runs in a different way if necessary.
“And that’s what all of us have been saying, can you adapt to conditions? Play the situation? Can you not just go harder when it’s doing something. Play good defence, pick your shots. Anything short throw the kitchen sink at it. Otherwise cover up a bit, grind out an innings.
“That’s what he’s done today. So this fifty is worth a hundred on a flat one easily. He’s done himself a lot of good I think.”
Gooch knows a player when he sees one. He likes what he sees with Cox. And it’s hard to argue with the verdict of a man who has 8,900 Test runs.
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