England’s dropped catches not down to lack of training, says Jonny Bairstow

The tally of missed chances mounted up for England on the second day at Lord’s but a slightly prickly Jonny Bairstow was adamant after stumps that the five to go to ground during Pakistan’s first innings reply is not for a lack of effort in training.

Joe Root’s side need a hugely improved second showing with the bat to retain any hope of winning this two-Test series. But, with Babar Azam retired hurt, there remains one wicket still to claim with the tourists set to begin day three on 350 for eight and leading by 166 runs.

As well as Pakistan have played, England have contributed hugely to their current predicament by following the disappointing 184 all out on the opening day – having won the toss – with a somewhat sloppy collective effort in the field.

Alastair Cook in particular will not look back on Friday fondly, having put down two chances at first slip and seen another fly between himself and the wicketkeeper; the CricViz stats show that only 69% of those that come his way in the past three years have been held.

Asked for theories as to why the hosts have not been sharper, Bairstow said: “It’s not from practice. You will have seen how much we have done. If you can put your finger on it, you are welcome to join us in practice. It happens doesn’t it? It’s part and parcel of cricket. You can look into it as much as you wish or make up whatever ideas you want.”

Regarding the match situation, Bairstow said: “They’ve played well but we are going into the weekend with potentially best time to bat on this wicket. By no means are we out of this. We have people in the lineup more than capable of achieving parity with their first innings, or even going past it, and then potentially it’s the worst time to bat in that final innings.”

Pakistan’s bright start to the series has suffered one significant setback, however, with Babar retiring hurt after being struck on the wrist during a hostile mid-afternoon spell from Ben Stokes. The No 5 underwent a scan that showed a fracture and he is now set to miss the second and final Test in Leeds next week.

Azhar Ali, who made one of four half-centuries for the tourists, said: “Obviously we are in a good position now but there is a long way to go. A Test match win never comes easy. Every batsman fought hard. The conditions weren’t easy against a good quality England attack. These two days are from good preparation. Hopefully we can transfer that into a win.”