England resumed their first innings on 112-2 at Headingley, with Joe Root and Jordan Cox at the crease. The pair soon brought up their fifties - Root's 108th in Tests, and Cox's first, off 78 balls with ten fours. Their partnership reached 101 off 26 overs, and by drinks England had extended their lead to 59 runs off 14 overs, with the score at 171-2. Cox, apparently eager to avoid becoming a maths problem (27, 25, ...), finally faced a ball and promptly set about scoring.

Meanwhile, the rain delays provided ample opportunity for spectators and commentators to ponder the 'Butterfly Effect' of weather on cricket history. One memorable moment involved a grey-haired man in a green quarter-zip attempting to carry four pints, only to drop them - a meme in the making. Stuart Broad, commentating, noted that Pakistan's attack was too medium-paced for sustained short-pitched bowling, just as Mohammad Ali bowled a bouncer that Root laughed at.

Pakistan's bowlers toiled, with Mohammad Abbas and Khurram Shahzad bowling maidens, but the damage was done yesterday when their batters collapsed. As one observer noted, 'Because of the hole their batters dug for them yesterday, decency is not enough.' The day's play was interrupted by rain, with inspections at 1pm and 1:45pm, and a rescheduled start at 2:45pm, leaving a maximum of 58 overs to be bowled.

Fans shared tales of rain-affected matches, from the 2010-11 Adelaide Test to the 2023 Old Trafford Ashes clash, where England's momentum was cruelly halted. One correspondent recalled that rain 'would have been two emphatic draws for England' but might have cost them the series. Another noted that Zak Crawley's finest hour was cut short by the weather, potentially altering the trajectory of BazBall.

As the clouds threatened, the crowd at Headingley remained hopeful, with one punter admitting he wouldn't mind a few lost overs today, given he has tickets for Saturday. The covers were eventually removed, and play was set to resume, but with the radar looking 'not great' for the next two hours, the umbrellas may yet come out again.