Pakistan’s difficult start to the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 campaign took another blow after they suffered an innings and 103-run defeat against England in the first Test at Headingley on Friday. The visitors were bowled out for just 135 in their second innings after England had secured a massive 238-run first-innings lead.
Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue played starring roles with the ball for England, while Jofra Archer also made an impact with the new ball. Robinson finished the match with eight wickets, earning the Player of the Match award, as England began Joe Root’s second stint as Test captain with a dominant victory.
Pakistan drop to bottom of WTC points table
The defeat proved costly for Pakistan in the updated WTC standings. Salman Agha’s side have now lost five of their seven matches in the current cycle and sit ninth with a PCT of 19.05%. Pakistan’s position at the bottom also comes after the West Indies moved above them in the standings. England remain seventh despite their convincing victory, with their PCT improving to 29.76%.
Meanwhile, Australia continue to occupy the top position after winning seven of their nine Tests. South Africa and New Zealand are second and third respectively, while Bangladesh remain fourth with a PCT of 66.67%. India are currently fifth with 53.33% after their 165-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test in Galle.
England begin Root’s second captaincy stint with a win
England produced a commanding performance in Leeds to start the post-Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum era in winning fashion. After dismissing Pakistan for 171 in the first innings, England piled up 409 in reply. Harry Brook led the scoring with 91, while Jordan Cox, Joe Root and Dan Lawrence also contributed half-centuries.
Pakistan needed a huge effort in their second innings but were unable to withstand England’s pace attack. Archer removed both openers before Robinson and Tongue picked up three wickets each to complete a comprehensive victory. The result gave England their seventh consecutive Test win at Headingley and ended the match inside three days.
With Pakistan now at the bottom and England still outside the top six, both teams face a difficult road ahead in the WTC cycle. The result also keeps the pressure on the teams competing for the top positions as the race for the final continues.
Updated WTC 2025-27 Points Table
| Rank | Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Drawn | Point Deductions | Points | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 84 | 77.78% |
| 2 | South Africa | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 75.00% |
| 3 | New Zealand | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 72.22% |
| 4 | Bangladesh | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 66.67% |
| 5 | India | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 64 | 53.33% |
| 6 | Sri Lanka | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 33.33% |
| 7 | England | 14 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 14 | 50 | 29.76% |
| 8 | West Indies | 13 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 42 | 26.92% |
| 9 | Pakistan | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 12 | 14.28% |
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