England launched their new era in devastating fashion as returning captain Joe Root oversaw an emphatic victory by an innings and 103 runs over Pakistan inside three days in the opening Test at Headingley.

In England's first Test following the retirement of Ben Stokes and the departure of head coach Brendon McCullum, the hosts delivered a ruthless, all-round display powered by a rampant pace attack that claimed all 20 Pakistan wickets across two innings.

Robinson and Tongue dismantle Pakistan in first innings

After winning the toss and electing to bowl on day one, England made immediate inroads. Ollie Robinson set the tone by trapping Azan Awais for a golden duck off the first ball of the series, before dismissing Pakistan skipper Shan Masood for five to leave the tourists reeling at 6-2.

Abdullah Shafique (61) and Imam-ul-Haq (42) offered spirited resistance with a 91-run partnership for the third wicket following a rain delay, but Pakistan suffered a catastrophic collapse once the stand was broken, slipping from 117-3 to 171 all out. Robinson (5-51) and Josh Tongue (5-46) shared all 10 wickets equally between them in a clinic of disciplined pace bowling.

Batters establish commanding 238-run lead

England capitalized on their bowlers' groundwork by posting a commanding total of 409 in reply. Harry Brook narrowly missed out on a century, scoring an aggressive 91 off 93 deliveries, while Jordan Cox contributed a fluent 73. Root marked his return to the helm with 66, and Dan Lawrence chipped in with a brisk 51.

Pakistan spinner Ali Usman produced a memorable individual display, claiming 5-95 from 24 overs to become the first visiting left-arm spinner since Shakib Al Hasan in 2010—and the first visiting spinner at Leeds since Australia's Ashley Mallett in 1972—to take a Test five-for in England. Despite Usman's efforts and lower-order wickets from Khurram Shahzad (3-133), a brisk 23 not out from Jofra Archer lifted England's first-innings lead to 238.

Visitors crumble again to seal heavy defeat

Facing a massive deficit, Pakistan's batting fragile top-order folded once more. Archer struck in his opening over to dismiss Imam-ul-Haq for a duck, extending Pakistan's run without a 50-plus opening stand in England to 27 consecutive innings dating back to 2010.

Robinson removed Shafique on the stroke of lunch before Tongue tore through the middle order, dismissing Saud Shakeel, Masood, and Salman Agha in rapid succession. Mohammad Rizwan provided lone defiance with a counter-attacking 41, but Gus Atkinson removed him before Archer (3-50) and Robinson (3-29) wrapped up the tail, skittling Pakistan for 135 inside 38 overs.

The triumph marks England's largest innings victory over Pakistan at Headingley and only the second occasion in Test history where England's fast bowlers took all 20 Pakistan wickets in a single match, securing a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.