England v Pakistan 3rd Test at Edgbaston September 9-13th
Neil whitaker reports
Day 1September 9, 2026 8:05 pm
FOR the fifth consecutive innings of this series Pakistan were dismissed for less than 200.
The wickets were shared between Ollie Robinson, Joffra Archer who both took three wickets and Josh Tongue who took four for 42. He said: “It was an unbelievable performance from everybody. When you win the toss and bowl you are under pressure to get wickets. We are in a good position. I think Robinson has been unbelievable all season and Gus Atkinson was unlucky today on another day he could have got a few wickets.”
The highest partnership of Pakistan’s innings was the 10th wicket partnership between Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Ali both in terms of runs and balls faced. The pair added 26 from 46 balls and Mohammad Abbas was the second top scorer of the innings with 21 while Mohammad Ali made five. Only three players reached double figures the others were Saud Shakeel who top scored with 43 and debutant Mohammad Imran Randhawa made 11. Pakistan faced only 33.5 overs, the lowest number of overs they faced this summer.
Pakistan made four changes from the team that were defeated at Lord’s. On their way back home were Mohammed Rizwan, Ali Usman, Khurram Shehzad and Inman-Ul-Haq, gave debuts to Mohammad Ghori, Mohammad Imran Randhawa, Razaullah and Sami Ayub replaced Inman-Ul-Haq. While England were unchanged from Lord’s.
England won the toss and put Pakistan in on a gloomy morning and under overcast conditions. They thought they had a wicket in the first over when Azan Awais was hit on his pads by Robinson, offering no shot and was given out by umpire Chris Gaffaney. Awais reviewed it and the replay showed it to be missing.
But Robinson got into the wicket column in his next over when he became the first England bowler to reach 100 Test wickets at an average of under 20 since Ian Botham when he got Saim Ayub leg before for a duck. Ayub reviewed it. This time replay showed that Gaffaney got this decision right.
Robinson got his second wicket when Abdullah Shafiq edged him and Lawrence took a low catch at third slip. Ben Duckett who had dropped two catches finally held to give Robinson his third wicket. He swung the third ball after lunch away from Razollah who edged his drive and Duckett who caught it in his midriff.
On nine Azan edged Archer to Duckett at first slip but he didn’t take it.Two balls later Azan chipped Archer to Tongue who took a low catch at mid-on. Shan Masood pulled Archer, but there was no power in his shot, to substitute Theo Wylie at mid-on.
Duckett dropped his second catch of the session when Saud Shakeel top edged a slash off Atkinson that went high and wide. He assessed the situation as he did at Lord’s by putting his bat to the ball as he flayed Atkinson to the point boundary. He guided Tongue to the point boundary and clipped the next ball to the leg side for a couple. Tongue got one to nip back at Shakeel and hit the top of his off stump. As Shakeel heard the ball hit his off stump he nodded to Tongue to say that ball was too good for him.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who was not aware of the departures till they happened, was beaten by Tongue’s pace and was demolished by one he angled in at Babar Azam and kept low.
Mohammad Ghazi Ghiri uppercut his first ball in Test cricket from Tongue over point to the point boundary. In Togue’s next over he survived a leg before appeal but two balls later he was adjudged leg before to Tongue. Mohammad Imran Randhawa was bowled by a fast in-swinging Yorker from Tongue which broke his off stump.
Mohammad Abbas blasted Robinson to the extra cover boundary. He clipped Tongue off his legs to the fine leg boundary and edged the next ball to the third man boundary.
Shakeel said: “When we lost the toss the overhead conditions were helping the bowlers. We started good with the ball and if we can get some early wickets in the morning we can get back in the game.”
To get back into the match Pakistan needed early wickets and they got rid of Duckett when he edged a loose drive off Mohammad Ali and Babar Azam took the catch at second slip in his midriff. Mohammad Ali must have known that Pakistan would be dismissed cheaply because after the toss he was marking his run-up.
After seeing Jordan Cox advance to Mohammad Abbas stumper Mohammad Ghazi Ghori stood up to Abbas and the first ball Cox was leg before. After his 11, Razaullah got his first Test wicket with his fourth ball. And what a wicket it was that of Joe Root leg before. Bowling with pace not seen in this Pakistan attack this season and had Root playing and missing until he got one seam back at Root who was leg before. By the close of play he had taken two wickets.
England should have been four down when Emilio Gay cut Razullah into the covers. Gay was late in setting off and was called through for a single by Harry Brook, the throw was wild but if Razullah had got to the stumps at the bowler's end it would have been an easy run out.
Apart from that mishap they both batted well and began taking control. A mistake on the point boundary allowed Gay to get a boundary to take him to his third Test fifty this summer. He clipped Razaullah to the fine leg boundary. Razaullah got his second wicket when Gay dragged him back from well outside the off stump. The pair added 103 for the fourth wicket in 22 overs. The partnership was broken the over after their hundred partnership had come up.
Tongue added: “Gay has worked really hard in the nets and puts in a lot of hard work and it shows on the pitch. He was disappointed with the way he got out but he has put us in a good position and hopefully we can get a good lead.”
When Brook pulled Razullah to the square leg boundary to pass 1,000 Test runs against Pakistan. In the penultimate over he reached his fifty from 70 balls with four fours when he pulled Razaulla for a single.