‘England have shown fight, character' — Graham Thorpe

England built a significant 128-run first-innings lead over Pakistan on a rain-affected second day of the Headingley Test, but the game is "not in the bag" yet, Graham Thorpe, England's batting coach, has cautioned.

The hosts finished on 302/7 on Saturday, 2 June, in response to Pakistan's first-innings 174, with Jos Buttler unbeaten on 34 and Sam Curran on 16.

Thorpe was pleased with England's batsmen showing some fight after the Lord's Test debacle, but added there's more work required in the second Test.

“I’m pleased with the lead. The game is not in the bag by any distance," he said. "But we have shown some fight, character, and application.”

Thorpe said the players were hurt after the first Test defeat, and put in the hard work to come back strongly. “Naturally, players are going to get hurt if you put in a bad performance. But you also have to dust yourself – you can’t feel sorry for yourself for too long.

"I think the players have reflected and talked, probably had some hard words with themselves. But they’ve come here and they’ve applied themselves well in practice, and most importantly in the middle as well.

“Now we’ve got to push home the advantage.”

Thorpe, however, also expressed "a little edge of frustration", after the England batsmen failed to convert their starts into 50, with Alastair Cook, Joe Root and Dominic Bess all falling for scores of 40-plus.

“[Almost] all the batters got past 20, but no one has got past 50. I think it shows a little bit of what the pitch is like as well – hit the seam in the right areas, you can make things happen out there as well.

“It was nice to see Jos (Buttler) there as well – he got out off the blocks pretty quick, then he got reined in, and you have to be able to adjust throughout a Test match.”

Thorpe was impressed with Bess, who made a half-century on his Test debut in Lord’s, and missed another one by just one run as he was dismissed by Shadab Khan for 49.

“I think he’s enjoying that role. He settled in very naturally," said Thorpe. "It shows the work he’s put in, because probably 18 months ago his batting was not at this level.

“It’s nice to see these young guys get settled in the dressing-room – which I think is a credit to the senior players as well.”