England’s crushing victory over Pakistan was the ideal start to Joe Root’s second reign as Test captain.

The home side could not have wished for a more straightforward beginning to a new era as they look to move on from the chaos of the past year.

England’s innings win comes with the context of a desperate performance from Pakistan, so any judgements on progress should be reserved for now.

Still, Headingley taught us some things. Here are the takeaways.

England are rebuilding their bowling attack for two reasons.

First, the retirement of Ben Stokes has robbed them not only of inspiration, but of balance.

Secondly, Stokes has followed Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Chris Woakes and, most likely, Mark Wood out of the door. That is 1,871 Test wickets lost in less than three years.

The first stab at a post-Stokes team included four frontline seamers – Jofra Archer, Ollie Robinson, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson – supported by the part-time off-breaks of Dan Lawrence.

In helpful conditions, it could not have gone better for England. Robinson and Tongue took eight wickets apiece, while Archer and Atkinson improved after a rusty first innings when they struggled to adapt following a month playing in The Hundred. Lawrence bowled only one over in the match.

Clearly, there will be times when England need a frontline spinner, but there is no consistently Test-class spinner in the country right now.

There is an argument to be made that England should continue to stack their attack with seamers because they are the best bowlers – Root said they “don’t know how good they could be”.

The likes of Sam Cook and Brydon Carse wait in the wings to step in or provide different skills if necessary, meaning England have a large squad of pacemen to choose from.

A trip to Bangladesh in February will mean England have to find some spin. For now, they should stay in the fast lane.

Jordan Cox has waited a long time for a proper opportunity in Test cricket. Now that it has finally arrived, the Essex batter looks at home at the highest level.

Deputising for the injured Jacob Bethell at number three, Cox impressed with an assured 73. He showed patience and sound judgement, though still had the range of strokes to push the scoring along at a healthy rate without taking risks.

Admittedly, the Pakistan attack Cox faced was far from the most fearsome in Test cricket. None of their seamers had the pace to test his ticker against the short ball.

But, occasionally, players come along and appear instantly suited to Test cricket. Cox seems to fit into that bracket.

His blemish was missing out on the really big score that would have made it impossible for the selectors to leave him out when Bethell returns. Cox potentially has four more innings in this series to make himself undroppable.

If the 25-year-old does demand a place in the XI for the December tour of South Africa and beyond, it leaves England with a dilemma.

Is opener Emilio Gay vulnerable? Bethell is now England’s opener in one-day cricket, while Cox opened for Kent at the beginning of his first-class career.

Cox can also keep wicket. Might he put pressure on Jamie Smith? Speaking of whom…

Smith was one of the players who most noticeably wilted under the pressure and scrutiny of the Ashes tour.

He was not helped by a lack of attention to his wicketkeeping in training. Whether it was because a threadbare backroom team was overworked, or England’s overall attitude was not good enough, Smith was rarely seen doing the hard yards with the gloves on.

There has been a change this summer. Since joining the coaching staff, former England women’s wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor has worked closely with Smith, who has also been able to do more wicketkeeping training with his county Surrey since recovering from a finger injury.

Another circumstance was an injury to Surrey’s regular keeper Ben Foakes, one of the best glovemen in the world. It gave Smith three consecutive games behind the stumps in the County Championship in the early part of the season.

The result has been a definite improvement in Smith’s keeping for England. It’s not as if the 26-year-old ever looked out of place behind the stumps in Test cricket, but he has shown off a greater range of skills this summer, particularly standing up to the fast-medium of Robinson.

At one point, in the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, Smith even stood up to the pacey Archer.

Not all progress is linear. Smith’s Test batting average has dipped below 40 and he needs to avoid developing a habit for maddening modes of dismissal.

The man who somehow got out to a Marnus Labuschagne bouncer in Sydney tamely holed out for 25 on Friday morning when there was an opportunity for a much bigger contribution.

If Cox or Lawrence fill their batting boots this summer, then England’s top-order will become congested. Smith must ensure he does not become vulnerable.

Stephen Fleming, England’s new Test coach, is not here. Brendon McCullum’s replacement is not due to arrive in the UK until September, by which time the Pakistan series could be over.

Fleming was appointed last month, yet will not take charge of England in a Test until South Africa at Christmas.

The delay has not fully been explained, apart from perhaps a desire to give Fleming a break after almost two decades with Chennai Super Kings.

You will have your own opinions on that one. Being in charge of an Indian Premier League team is intense, but CSK’s last match was on 21 May, seven months before England’s first Test against the Proteas. Could Fleming, now with one of the biggest jobs in coaching, not have been part of a month-long series against Pakistan?

Either way, Root revealed the New Zealander had been in daily contact during the Headingley Test. “It’s been great to have him on the end of the phone,” said the captain.

Fleming’s influence is not immediately obvious, simply because England were not tested in Leeds.

Should things get more difficult in the remaining two Tests, or if a crucial selection decision needs to be made, perhaps vital input will come from the Flemphone.

A win is a win for England, much needed after only two in their previous 10. However, they should have been better than two wins in 10, and the dismal nature of Pakistan’s performance means Root’s men can only take limited encouragement from their week in Leeds.

Nothing went right for Pakistan, from the moment captain Babar Azam was ruled out with a thumb injury. Their batting was brittle, their bowling scattergun and their fielding shoddy.

Babar’s team beat West Indies in Trinidad earlier this month to earn a 1-1 series draw, yet that was Pakistan’s first Test win away from home in more than three years.

They are heavily reliant on winning Tests on spinning pitches, which is why they switched to worn tracks on England’s last visit to Pakistan in 2024. When pace bowling becomes the dominant weapon, Pakistan have neither the bowlers nor batters to thrive in the conditions.

Now they head to Lord’s, where not one over of spin was bowled in England’s shootout win over New Zealand in June.

The surface at the home of cricket could be much different this time around, or a sporty pitch could act as a leveller between the two teams.

Still, the smart money is on another England victory to complete their first series win against anyone in almost two years.