LONDON: England captain Joe Root won the toss and chose to bat in the first test against Pakistan in overcast conditions at Lord's on Thursday. 'It probably looks on the surface like bowling conditions but it's very dry underneath, and it looks like it's already starting to crack and it may play into our favour,' Root said. England awarded a test debut to 20-year-old off-spinner Dom Bess, who was preferred to pace bowler Chris Woakes. Pakistan opted for Hasan Ali as their fourth seamer. Teams England - Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, Joe Root (captain), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Mark Wood, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, James Anderson Pakistan - Azhar Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Haris Sohail, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed (captain and wicketkeeper), Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas.