AI Simulation, ENG vs ZIM Day 1 | Root leads all-round batting display to hand England edge at Stumps

Pitch & Weather

The iconic Trent Bridge produced near-perfect conditions for the start of three-months of jam-packed international cricket in the United Kingdom, both in terms of the weather and surface on offer. The tiniest tinge of grass greeted the players when they took the field on Day 1, enough to make the hard new Dukes ball talk under overcast skies, but as the day progressed the deck settled down and offered a great opportunity for the batters to pile on their runs. 

Toss & Conditions

England won the toss and elected to bat first.

Lineups

ENG:  Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Sam Cook, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir

ZIM: Brian Bennett, Ben Curran, Nick Welch, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine (c), Wessly Madhevere, Tafadzwa Tsiga (wk), Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Newman Nyamhuri, Blessing Muzarabani

Match Report

With clouds looming overhead, Blessing Muzarabani took the shiny new red cherry in hand with Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett up against him to get proceedings underway in Nottingham. The tall pacer troubled both with his ability to extract steep bounce off a good length while extracting both swing and seam movement, albeit Duckett's low centre of gravity did pose a challenge to Muzarabani's control. The opening duo's uncharacteristic sedate start paved the path for the quick to breach Crawley's defences with an inseamer and hand Zimbabwe their first breakthrough 10 overs in, bringing Ollie Pope to the crease. Once Muzarabani was taken out of the attack, the vice-captain and Duckett allowed their nerves to settle as they stitched together a 85-run stand either side of Lunch.

However, when play resumed in the second session, Richard Ngarava emerged a revitalized figure and accounted for both incumbent batters shortly after Duckett had brought up a 95-ball half-century, his slowest so far in Tests. England thus suddenly found themselves at 120/3 with two new batters at the crease. While Joe Root was upto the challenge as the pitch seemed to grow flatter by the minute, fellow York Harry Brook spurned his opportunity after a decent start of 22 as he chipped one straight to short midwicket. Skipper Ben Stokes took over thereafter as Root's partner and his knock of 36 helped England get 222 before Wellington Masakadza got the better of him on the last ball before Tea to leave things in balance.

Root continued to pile on the runs when the final session began as he inched closer to an inevitable looking ton with Jamie Smith looking in fine rhythm upon his return to the Test unit following a brief stint on the sidelines. The duo were one away from bringing up a fifty-run stand and steering England to a clinical conclusion on the opening day when Root missed a straight one to be trapped LBW and Gus Atkinson succumbed for five. Smith and Shoaib Bashir ensured there was no further damage as England headed into Stumps at 312/7.     

Player of the Day

Joe Root unquestionably emerged as the difference maker on Thursday with his gritty knock of 89, navigating tough conditions in the first half of his innings before banking in later in the afternoon and falling just marginally short of a 37th Test ton. However, Zimbabwe's Blessing Muzarabani deserves a shout too for extending his lead as the highest Test wicket-taker in 2025 with three more scalps -- including Root's.

Scorecard