Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan’s unbroken half-century stand revived England after the loss of three wickets either side of lunch on day one of the first npower Test against Pakistan.

England’s fifth-wicket pair held firm against the threat of Mohammad Aamer (three for 25) and Mohammad Asif, both exploiting the cloud cover at Trent Bridge, and then took toll of the back-up bowlers on the way to a tea-time total of 190 for four.

Andrew Strauss had made a perhaps borderline decision to bat first but went some way to justifying his judgment this morning until he flapped an edge behind to go five runs short of his 50 and give Aamer his second wicket.

There had already been one significant moment of fortune for the England captain on 15 thanks to a dropped catch by wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal off Aamer.

England also profited from the first use of the decision review system in this country, Jonathan Trott reprieved on 13 when third umpire Marais Erasmus had to inform colleague Asoka de Silva his lbw verdict was wrong - because the batsman had inside-edged a forward-defensive at Danish Kaneria.

Strauss’ opening partner Alastair 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.

England nonetheless appeared in good shape until Strauss departed to only the fourth ball of Aamer’s second spell, leaving Trott and Kevin Pietersen to inch past three figures.

Trott had luck on his side, though, when Tony Hill turned down an Aamer lbw appeal from a ball angling in from round the wicket. Pakistan chose not to invoke DRS, and doubtless discovered over lunch that the decision would have been overturned had they done so.

Their response in early afternoon was to go into DRS overdrive - to no avail, as they used up their two permissible failures in successive Asif overs.

Pietersen survived an lbw on one, then a caught-behind on five, only to fall anyway for just nine when Asif got a ball to snake on to off-stump via a front-foot inside edge.

Trott soon followed, his second review failing to get him off an lbw charge - shouldering arms at Aamer - and leaving England with the innings’ only remaining DRS opportunity.

Two wickets had fallen for as many runs in successive overs, and Morgan soon had a scare too - edging Aamer just short of the wicketkeeper.

He and Collingwood needed to dig in to try to salvage an acceptable total - and they did just that initially with some risk-free, and almost run-free, occupation.

Their determination paid off once Salman Butt rested his frontline seamers, Collingwood breaking free with consecutive back-foot fours through the off-side in an Umar Gul over which also contained two no-balls and cost 15 runs.

Morgan (44no) then sprang into life once Kaneria and Shoaib Malik began bowling in tandem, hitting six fours from only 12 balls as the spinners produced too many loose deliveries.