Promising signs for new England but Pakistan absolutely dire

England's thumping win at Headingley a positive start to new era but caveated by how bad Pakistan were with bat, ball and in the field; it remains unclear how Joe Root's side should replace Ben Stokes long term - and how on earth tourists can get back in three-match series

Joe Root's return match as England Test captain could hardly have gone better - a three-day win and a weekend off.

The fact that fast bowler Josh Tongue had the opportunity to focus on his beloved Manchester United's Saturday-lunchtime Premier League opener against Hull City owed much to England's excellence but more so Pakistan's ineptitude.

A game that started on Wednesday was done before tea on Friday. Had rain not fallen across the first two days, it could conceivably have concluded on Thursday evening.

As a result, there are similarities between this England reset and the one they had at the start of the summer against New Zealand at Lord's, in that the speed of the game rendered it hard to assess how much progress had actually been made.

Against the Black Caps in June, in the last knockings of Bazball, the poor pitch was chiefly to blame for the Test lasting only 166 overs. At Headingley this week, Pakistan's lack of quality was a key factor in the game being over in 175.3.

This Leeds deck was a good one. It was how Pakistan batted and bowled on in that was the problem, allied with how they fielded. The tourists had a shocker on all three fronts.

That has to be a caveat when it comes to assessing England but Pakistan's myriad issues should not entirely detract from a fine performance from the home side.

While too early to make sweeping calls about this new England - the permanent coach, Stephen Fleming, is not even in the country yet, although did chat to Root on the phone during the Headingley Test - there were a few learnings. Root's captaincy for one.

The Yorkshireman had been left broken at the end of his first stint in the role, as the losses totted up and he had to navigate Covid bubbles, but he looked refreshed and revitalised on his home ground as he chalked up a record-extending 28th win in charge.

Switching from slip to mid-off allowed him to be closer to his bowlers, while a switch from mid-off to leg slip at one point paid off as he caught Azan Awais off Jofra Archer.

We also saw a ruthless streak when Root withdrew Archer from the attack on day one after two unimpactful overs with the new ball. There was much to admire as Root made tactical tweaks but did not try to lead like predecessor Ben Stokes.

We also saw a maturity in Harry Brook's batting with the vice-captain parking the dancing down the wicket and the falling-over scoops to play in a more orthodox, restrained manner. There was no need for any "rash shots", he later told Sky Sports .

Brook simply waited for Pakistan to bowl a bad ball - and, boy, did they bowl lots of those - rather than attempt to force the issue. If he can mix that measured approach with his breath-taking talent going forward, there is no limit on what he could achieve.