Aamer makes breakthrough

Mohammad Aamer and Pakistan had to settle for one wicket as England otherwise survived the swinging ball in a cloudy first hour of the npower Test series at Trent Bridge.

Teenager Aamer saw off Alastair Cook and would have had England captain Andrew Strauss too, on 15, but for a dropped chance behind the wicket by Kamran Akmal.

England's resulting 52 for one was a favourable outcome for the hosts, after Strauss had won the toss and soon began to cash in personally as Aamer and Mohammad Asif occasionally missed their lines - with the ball hooping around.

Asif's first over conceded 10 runs, and a glut of early extras allowed England to race past 40 in under nine overs. Cook was largely unconvincing, playing and missing several times and struggling to get his feet moving.

But it was Strauss who had the biggest stroke of luck, the thinnest of edges behind when Aamer got one to swing dangerously away from the left-hander bringing only frustration for the tourists because Akmal missed a regulation catch.

There was to be no second chance for Cook, edging to slip in back-foot defence and Imran Farhat taking a low catch.

The circumstances provided a significant test of Jonathan Trott's credentials as a permanent number three, following his double-hundred from that position at Lord's two months ago.

He duly came through the initial examination, as Salman Butt made the first change to his attack - introducing Umar Gul at the Radcliffe Road end and switching Asif to the pavilion.

Then just on the hour, Strauss brought up the England 50 with a handsome off-drive for four off Gul.

Pakistan this morning took the field wearing black armbands, following the air crash which killed more than 150 people near Islamabad yesterday.