Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special

I don't think he will be as effective here as he was in the UAE, especially if England play him sensibly. He's a good bowler but, to be one of the best, you have to do it all over the world.

Yasir Shah to bowl the first over of spin for Pakistan. Interestingly, England turned to Moeen after 40 overs. Pakistan turn to the tweaker after 19. Also, it's Yasir's first Test outside Asia.

We've heard the chat about Pakistan's left-arm heavy seam attack. Is there a case to be made for mixing it up? Plenty of expert opinion about the left-right combination being a good ploy for the batting team (case in point, England right now), so would Pakistan have been better served with that balance in the bowling? 

Cook meanwhile balances himself like a tightrope walker to crack one through point for four off Rahat and then expertly digs out a yorker to end the over.

Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special

It's called quality and Joe Root has it. Footwork is good, everything else is made easier. He's in good touch today.

"Lage raho, lage raho" shouts one of the Pakistan players in encouragement. Roughly translates to: "keep at it, keep at it". Wahab obliges with a relatively cheap over, just three conceded and Root to keep strike.

Will Strauss: To be fair, when David Warner came out to bat at Old Trafford in 2013, having recently lamped Joe Root, he got fearful abuse.

Rahat Ali is back for a spell. Apparently he's been one of the biggest swingers of the ball. Don't ask me the mathematics of it, or my old school teachers will be readying their red pens.

Speaking of colours, plenty of very fine suits in the crowd today. One of our colleagues on TMS earlier said there are a lot of pastel colours. Rahat, with his quick-ish run-up and delivery, gets the ball to talk a bit. Cook leaves and defends so no harm done.

Joe Root was peppered with some short stuff from Wahab, so it's no surprise his eyes lit up when this was delivered...

I remember a lot of talk about where Amir might be placed on the outfield. Would Misbah protect/hide him? I can report he's on the fine leg boundary and going through his stretches, so no problems. 

Wahab concedes a boundary to Cook and England are going along at just under five an over.

Phil Tufnell
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

"He's got a great seam position, Amir, but the ball isn't swinging. It's got a little chillier, it's not as humid as it was this morning."

Amir's taking his time between deliveries. No real rush, adjusts his field a bit here and there. More wide stuff to Cook. Must say Amir's had his chances when bowling closer to Cook's body. Perhaps the wide balls are a bit of a ploy?

Danny Williams: If folk down south could stop baselessly assuming Northerners are going to boo Amir at Old Trafford, that'd be sound.

I say Amir is short-haired, he's definitely got a decent beard line going. Very nice trimming and done with space-age precision. I approve (must also ask him about technique).

On to business, as Wahab and his red-lined shoes come from over the wicket. Can't quite bowl his first maiden as Joe Root expertly guides a rising delivery wide of backward point for four.

Phil Tufnell
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

"That was almost a carbon copy of the one that went to first slip. No foot movement from Cook, taking the outside edge. The ball didn't really move."

Image source, Getty Images

Crowd understandably a bit quiet for the moment. Those heavy lunches do take their time to settle in. Amir runs in and again finds Cook's edge. Didn't carry this time with Younus Khan (not Hafeez) waiting to pounce. Short-haired Amir keeps to the wide line and manages his first maiden.

Both batsmen getting a three-man slip cordon to this Wahab over. That can usually result in more gaffes than catches sometimes. Sort of the 'thought you were going for it', as my village team skipper liked to say. I secretly think he was just a bit lazy.

Amir does a nice fielding job at wide third man, and earns another round of applause. Tidy-ish over from Wahab.

Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special

The slower the pitch, the fuller you have to bowl. You can't bowl short, it's too easy to pull and cut.

Not too far from the restart now. Amir's return so far has seen him bowl six overs, and he nearly had a wicket - what a wicket that would have been, the England skipper, the immovable Alastair Cook. Another of those if-only moments.

Anyway, England's batsmen run back out, Wahab Riaz has the ball. I can see a bit of cloud over Lord's, so should make for an interesting passage of play. 

Tattz: Would be nice to see more forgiveness and grace offered to Amir. Glad to see anyone pick themselves up after prison.  

Tom Jordan: Polite welcome back from Lords for Amir. Reckon it may be slightly different at Old Trafford next week.

Cheers Steph. I've got my post-lunch coffee so that's my key preparation done and dusted. England will be preparing for more of the same really. Let's see how the second session progresses.