England's dramatic three-wicket win over Pakistan in the first Test at Old Trafford was a brilliant advertisement for the red-ball game.

Pakistan, despite not having played international cricket for several months because of the coronavirus, dominated the majority of the match and were still favourites when they reduced England to 117-5, chasing a target of 277, on Saturday's fourth day in Manchester.

 
But Jos Buttler (75) and Chris Woakes (84 not out) took the game away from the tourists in a sixth-wicket partnership of 139.

Below AFP Sport looks at three key learnings from an enthralling first chapter of a three-match series:

Woakes works wondersAlthough he recently reached the landmark of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in fewer Tests than West Indies hero Garfield Sobers, arguably cricket's greatest all-rounder, or England colleague Ben Stokes and has a better bowling average in England than either James Anderson or Stuart Broad, there has been a tendency to regard Chris Woakes as a 'nearly man'.So it was no surprise that his omission from England's first Test against the West Indies last month generated little comment.

The affable Woakes is not one to moan publicly about his lot, sometimes to his own detriment.

Yet Woakes has since taken 15 wickets for England at a shade under 16 apiece.