Crafty from Mohammad Abbas, who maintains a tight line before pushing a wider delivery across Mark Stoneman.

Stoneman leaves what he can and thuds his bat down on the rest.

Geoffrey Boycott
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special

Stoneman has flattered a bit, there have been some good moments but also some silly shots. Cook, except for two double hundreds, has had a really poor 12 months, he's said so himself.

Hello - a half-yelp of an appeal as Mark Stoneman shoulders arms to his first ball, and the ball clatters into his thigh.

The next ball is a touch wider, though, and Stoneman pushes the ball away for four to get England's innings under way.

Image source, Reuters

It'll be Mohammad Abbas sharing the new ball with Mohammad Amir.

Abbas finished with match figures of 9-110 against Ireland.

Alastair Cook is playing his 153rd - yes, you read that right - consecutive Test, equalling former Australia captain Allan Border's record.

Image source, BBC Sport

Mohammad Amir tightens up his line and tempts Alastair Cook into a prod at a delivery that shapes away at the last second.

Cook blinks and readjusts, plonking his bat down to the final two balls. A maiden to start the day.

Marc Gridley: The constant background murmur, the low sound of the reverberating PA system, Tuffers and Vic Marks’ nervous giggles. There’s nothing at all like tuning into @bbctms for the first Test of the summer at Lord's.

Mohammad Amir will, unsurprisingly, open the bowling.

It'll be Alastair Cook to face... and he lets the first ball go whipping past his off stump.

Happy Test summer, folks!

It's almost time...

Out comes Alastair Cook, followed by Mark Stoneman and the Pakistan team. There's a sprint in captain Sarfraz Ahmed's step as he makes his way to the wicket.

Vic Marks
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

The biggest help England can give to Bess is to go out and get a good score, to give him the freedom to bowl without that scorecard pressure.

Right, five minutes to go - predictions?

The positive side of me thinks England can get through the first hour without losing any wickets. The side of me that saw all of England's Test winter thinks that might be a little optimistic...

Kevin Ticehurst: You can’t beat 5 days of Test match cricket, and the red ball season is upon us once again. Come on England, time to put the winter behind us and it’s time for a new beginning!

Chris Williamson: Can't help but thinking that Bess won't get a chance to bowl much in this match if England don't bat well in this first session. Amir to get a on the honours board by the end of the day.

Michael Vaughan
Ex-England captain on BBC Radio 5 live

They have to show more maturity when that moment comes. In the winter, the amount of late wickets England lost – it is the little scenarios like that that England have to get better at. It’s all developed on the training ground.

Pakistan are seventh in the Test rankings, two places behind England, and they beat England by 75 runs at Lord's two years ago.

However, only a few players from that successful team remain, and Pakistan have had mixed fortunes since then.

They have won two of their past five Test series and claimed victory in two of their six matches last year.

Azhar Ali is Pakistan's leading performer of the past two years with the bat, now averaging 45.84, and Asad Shafiq made a ton against Sri Lanka two Tests ago after a lean period.

Left-armer Mohammad Amir will lead the bowling line-up, despite struggling with a knee injury in the lead-up to the Test.

Image source, Getty Images

Vic Marks
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

We've had Leach and Bess at Somerset but they are poles apart as cricketers. Leach has worked really hard that he is not so good at, like batting and fielding, Bess is an instinctive cricketer and he makes things happen.

On presenting Bess with his England cap: I told him to go and do what he normally does. I also told a joke but we can't go into that.

That is one almighty shirt...

Michael Vaughan
Ex-England captain on BBC Radio 5 live

Joe has batted at number three before, Jonny Bairstow has been up the order, we’ve seen Jos Buttler in the team – the personnel is the same personnel that we’ve seen before. This Test team has to have a better mind.

Mohammad Amir might swing it around for an hour or so – you can’t just whack that kind of bowler. You have to have the mindset that the game is a long game and you can just bide yourself a bit of time.

I absolutely love these headshots of the England players, taking by Getty's Gareth Copley-Jones.

Some superb expressions on show.

Paul Cotterill: Today's prediction: Amir swinging it round corners and England 32-4 after an hour.

Rob Carrick: Surely a odd to decision to bat first in these conditions?

BBC Weather's Simon King: "We had those showers but they have cleared away and it should be increasing amounts of sunshine. It is humid, there is a risk of a shower later into the afternoon into the evening, with temperatures getting up to 23.

"Over the new few days, on Friday there may be an early shower or two but it should be dry for the start of play with temperatures again 23. Over the weekend, plenty more sunshine to come and it will be up to 26 by Sunday. Uncertainty into Monday, with a risk of storms."