Pakistan found a glimmer of encouragement on an otherwise difficult day at Lord's when 21-year-old opener Azan Awais compiled a composed 46-run innings that demonstrated the kind of resilience the struggling nation desperately needs. Batting in the second Test against England that began on 27 August 2026, Awais faced 102 deliveries and constructed an innings of genuine substance despite the modest final tally, offering supporters of a team in near-permanent crisis a rare moment of optimism.
The contrast between Awais's approach and the collapse around him was stark. England reached 248 for nine at the close of the weather-shortened opening day, but Pakistan's batting lineup crumbled with alarming regularity once they came to the crease. With Imam-ul-Haq unable to bat because of a calf strain, Awais was involved in eight of Pakistan's nine partnerships, yet only one lasted more than eight overs. He did not so much run out of patience as out of partners, the mounting pressure eventually forcing him on to the attack and abbreviating what had been a masterclass in survival.
Babar Azam returned to Pakistan's XI after missing the first Test because of a finger injury, but the presence of the team's star batter could not prevent the familiar pattern of batting fragility. Pakistan sit bottom of the World Test Championship standings and eighth in the current world rankings, ahead only of the West Indies side with whom they drew 1-1 a few weeks earlier by the tightest of margins. They had arrived at Lord's seeking to recover from an innings and 103-run defeat at Headingley, where Awais was dismissed off the first ball of the series.
How did Awais demonstrate his quality?
Awais showed composure and technical awareness that belied his years and his difficult circumstances. He hit seven fours in total, but two struck off Jofra Archer best illustrated his quality and focus. The first came in the eighth over when Archer was producing a thrilling opening spell, beginning with a 92mph delivery before ramping up to 94mph and then producing another of similar pace pitched short that screamed towards the batter's body and forced last-ditch evasive action. When Archer then went too full and strayed a bit too wide, Awais was on to it, caressing the ball wide of point. Later he watched a wonderful delivery just miss the outside edge before calmly pinging the next through cover.
Both shots demonstrated an understanding that the fact one moment is difficult does not mean the next must also be. After scoring 98 off 170 for Pakistan Shaheens at Hove the previous summer in his first red-ball game in England, Awais had spoken about the demanding nature of opening batting in English conditions.
"It was my first experience playing in England. The conditions are challenging for an opening batter, requiring patient survival early on."Those lessons appeared to have taken root at Lord's, where he faced 44 balls in the first 15 overs of Pakistan's innings, scoring off just five of them—four singles—before gradually accelerating. He faced 58 more deliveries and scored another 38 runs before top-edging a pull to deep square leg.
What makes Awais's emergence significant?
At 21 years old, Awais is one of only three twentysomethings in Pakistan's squad and the youngest by nearly five years. He has an appealing origin story that speaks to his determination and his father's influence. As a youngster he played obsessively with a plastic toy bat, receiving coaching on the roof of the building where they lived before eventually playing for local youth teams. At age 11, after stepping away from the sport to focus on schoolwork, he and his father passed a stadium.
"When we were inside a coach spotted me and asked my father, 'He used to be good, why did he stop playing?' My cricket journey restarted the very next day."Ten years later he was opening the batting at Lord's.
His trajectory has been remarkable. Two weeks after turning 20, he scored a half-century on his first-class debut. A month later he posted an unbeaten double century. In May he struck a century in his first international innings against Bangladesh. Yet at Lord's, cast both as anchor and apprentice, he seemed content to thrive quietly at one end while the rest of the team's batting lineup came and went, commitment to patient survival rarely evident elsewhere in the order.
Why does this matter for Pakistan's crisis?
Pakistan's struggles have been well documented. They lost the first Test at Headingley inside three days, and there had been speculation before Lord's that Babar Azam might return while Awais could be dropped. Instead, the young opener retained his place and justified the faith shown in him, at least in terms of demonstrating the kind of potential that will be seized upon by followers of a team whose main potential in recent years has been for self-destruction.
On another otherwise difficult day, the 21-year-old provided the kind of encouragement that Pakistan badly needed. While Mohammad Abbas took four wickets for Pakistan as they exploited damp conditions, it was Awais's composure with the bat that offered the most tangible sign that this team might yet find a way to compete in this series. Another match, another series, seems to be spinning away from his team, but perhaps, sometime soon, the same will also be true for them.
What happens next?
The second Test at Lord's is scheduled to run through 31 August 2026, with England targeting a series win. Pakistan will need to build on the foundation laid by their bowling performance and hope that Awais's example of patient accumulation can be replicated by other members of their batting order in their second innings.
Key Facts
- Azan Awais scored 46 off 102 balls in Pakistan's first innings at Lord's, demonstrating composure against quality bowling
- The 21-year-old was involved in eight of Pakistan's nine partnerships, highlighting the fragility of the rest of the batting order
- Pakistan sit bottom of the World Test Championship standings and are seeking to recover from an innings and 103-run defeat at Headingley
- Babar Azam returned to the XI after missing the first Test, while Imam-ul-Haq was unavailable because of a calf strain
- England reached 248 for nine on the opening day, with Mohammad Abbas taking four wickets for Pakistan
