This is going to be a rather strange series.England have an old-new captain, and a new-new but absent coach. The country’s cricket community feels in an existential sort of mood post-Hundred, mid-drought, and pre-Stephen Fleming, Their opponents Pakistan arrive with low expectations. On paper, it’s a battle of seventh and eighth in the world, with both sides searching for a bit of context — and a bit of meaning.As England rattled through Pakistan, dismissing the visitors for just 171, they may have stumbled upon something meaningful. As Ollie Robinson took 5-51, his second five-wicket haul in as many Tests since returning to the side, Root appeared to be finding the leader of his new attack.The challenges of bowling at Headingley are unique, and plentiful. Some are mental: this is a ground where teams bowl first, win, and as a new-ball bowler you are expected to drive that victory.Some are more technical: the average seamer dismissal here in the last decade is 6.7m from the batting stumps, the fullest for any English venue. The established pattern of play in almost all long-form cricket is the cat-and-mouse over ownership of fuller lengths, a test of bottle for bowler and patience for batter, but rarely is it more pronounced than in Leeds.Robinson was more than up to the challenge.Ollie Robinson took a wicket with the first delivery of the series (Stu Forster/Getty Images)A wicket first ball of the match was the perfect way to re-announce himself, having been out of the limelight since the first Test at Lord’s earlier in the summer. There has been a fair bit of water under the bridge in English cricket since then. For Robinson, it was simply a case of picking up where he left off after those seven wickets against New Zealand back in June.That dismissal — round the wicket, angling into the left-hander’s pad — set the tone for an authoritative display of skilful, accurate bowling.It soon accounted for Shan Masood; Robinson now over the wicket, typically his preferred angle of approach to left-handed batters, once again in full, and moving, and deadly. His average length in that opening spell was 6.3m, marginally fuller than that designated Headingley danger zone. The difference was explained by Robinson’s more pedestrian bowling speed.