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.
Day 2
AFTER another dominant day England need another eight Pakistan wickets to wrap up a 3-0 series victory while Pakistan need another 268 runs to make England bat again.
Harry Brook, Dan Lawrence, Jamie Smith all reached 50’s but yet again in this series no England batsman has reached a century. Conditions at the beginning of the second day looked ideal for batting so it proved with England adding 297 in 50 overs but by the time Pakistan batted again the clouds returned and a mixture of bad light and rain ended play early.
In the first three overs of the day Brook and Lawrence added 25 to the overnight score. Lawrence had to reach for a loose ball from Razaullah but blasted it to the point boundary to bring up the fifty partnership with Brook off 59 balls. Lawrence said: “It wasn't our intention to score the runs quickly, it was just how they came and we kept the scoreboard moving.”
Pakistan wanted early wickets and opened the bowling with Razaullah who bowled with pace but they didn’t get a breakthrough until the 11.50, by then Pakistan knew they had a long day of chasing leather ahead, when Brook ran himself out. He played Saim Ayub straight to Shan Masood at mid-wicket, who the ball threw to Ayub to take off the bails. Brook, who was slow to set off, was run out by a mile. Umpire Chris Gaffaney gave the decision without the need for a replay.
Lawrence added: “He was gutted with the way he got out and he wasn't too chuffed about running himself out.”
Lawrence nudged Saim Ayub into the legside to bring up his third fifty of the series. This one came from 47 balls with eight fours. He flat batted Ayub to long-off to take England’s lead to 100.
Smith batting with an injured thumb lofted Ayub straight a six and two balls later he went down the pitch and smashed Ayub to the long-on boundary. He drilled Randhawa to long-on boundary to bring up the fifty partnership with Lawrence in 10 overs. His partnership with Lawrence ended 10 minutes before lunch when Lawrence tried to run Mohammad Imran Randhawa to the third man boundary but instead dragged it back on to his stumps.
“Today I missed out again on getting a century but I am happy with the way I played and contributed. I think that I’ve got a lot to offer English cricket.”
Smith thrashed Razaullah to the extra cover boundary to bring up his 12th Test fifty, this one came from 54 balls with seven fours and a six. But just like Lawrence when a century looked on the cards he was out when he chipped Razaullah back to the bowler. Smith’s 69 came from 84 balls and included nine fours and a six. Lawrence said: “When I was batting with him he was in great rhythm.”
Robinson went down the pitch to the first ball with the new ball and flat batted it to the mid-wicket boundary. Two balls later he slogged Mohammad Abbas into the Hollies stand for a big six. In the blink of an eye he reached 49 with a late cut off Mohammad Abbas to the point boundary. He managed a single off the next ball to reach his second Test fifty off 46 balls with seven fours and a six. But he was on back in the hutch when he chipped Razaullah to Shan Masood at cover.
The last wicket pair of Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue carried on with the fun. Archer hooked Razaullah but it fell short off Saim Ayub at long leg. In the next over he went down the pitch to Mohammad Ali and pulled him over square leg for a six. He did hit a six off Razaullah when he hooked him again.
Tongue was the last man out when he edged Mohammad Ali to Ghazi Ghori after adding 44 for the last wicket with Archer.
Earlier Atkinson drilled Razaullah straight past the bowler to bring up England’s 300. Randhawa swung one back in at Atkinson which took an inside edge, flicked his pad and on to his off stump.
Needing 320 to avoid an innings defeat Pakistan lost their first second innings wicket to the first ball when Saim Ayub hung out his bat to Robinson and Brook at second slip took a simple catch.
Three balls later, Abdullah Shafiq pushed at Robinson and Root back at first slip took a good low catch. That was Root’s 220th catch, the most catches in Test cricket for an outfielder. Lawrence added: “When Robinson is bowling the slips always feel that they are in the game.”
On 13 Shan Masood edged Atkinson through the slips and despite Ben Duckett at third slip getting his hands to it he put another chance down.
Pakistan batting coach Michael Smith said: “We are in a transition period for Pakistan cricket and against an England team who have bowled really well as a unit. We need our batters to bat for a few hours instead of half an hour. The players we have are quality and they will come good. Some players know that they have been dismissed cheaply.
I think that Robinson is the most consistent bowler in world cricket and he knows what he’s doing with the ball.”
Day 3
IN an extraordinary last two hours of the third day Pakistan’s ninth wicket pair of Razaulla and Mohammad Abbas added 121 in 21 overs but the tone was set earlier by Joe Root when spread the field instead of attacking the tailenders.
When Razaulla came into bat Pakistan were 312 for seven still eight behind England. Razaulla flat batted his first ball to the long-off boundary. He pulled Josh Tongue over backward square leg for a six to make England bat again. Razaulla hit three consecutive sixes in the next over from Gus Atkinson.He swung Atkinson over square leg for his second six and he hit the next two balls for straight sixes.
Razaulla reached his fifty with a six off Jofra Archer and another six of the next ball brought up Pakistan’s 400. His fifty included five sixes. In six overs with the new ball Pakistan added 55. Razaulla flat batted Archer for a six over long-on.
He was given out leg before in the final over of sweeping Lawrence but he reviewed it and the replay showed it to be missing, but next ball when he went down the pitch to Dan Lawrence and was stumped by Jordan Cox. His 81 included nine sixes equaling the record by an player in his Test debut.
Razaulla said: “ I enjoyed the crowd appreciating me. I have scored a century in domestic cricket playing in the same way.”
The partnership was broken when Mohammad Abbas backed away from Tongue and cut him to Atkinson at point His 42 was his best Test score. At first Mohammad Abba preferred to let Razaulla do the damage but he did have ments like when he pulled Ollie Robinson for a six over square leg. He flat batted Atkinson straight for a six to bring up the hundred partnership and take Pakistan’s lead to 102.
England’s interim coach Marcus Trescothick said: “It was disappointing after we had them eight down but full credit to the young fellow. When he hit it he hit it a long way and struck it cleanly. I think it was a combination of a good pitch and good batting by the young fellow. He’s been impressive with both the ball and bat.
Before lunch we couldn’t bowl in the right areas but we sorted out at lunch and got back on track after lunch. But I am backing my lads to go out and get the 130 runs tomorrow.”
Shan Masood fell five runs short of achieving the first century of the series but he showed determination to resist England’s bowlers and featured in Pakistan two biggest partnerships not only of the match but of the series. With opener Azan Awais they added 125 for the third wicket and with his captain Babar Azam he added 89 for the fourth.
As the floodlights started to come Shan Masood edged Atkinson and Lawrence at fourth slip took a brilliant one handed catch low down in his right hand to give Atkinson his first wicket of the match.Shan Masood’s 95 came from 148 balls with 12 fours.
Shan Masood drove Jofra Archer to the extra cover boundary for the first runs of the day after 11 balls. After moving Ben Duckett from third slip to leg leg slip Shan Masood, on 33, edged the next ball from Tongue in the gap between second slip and gully. But would Duckett have caught it?
Shan Masood had another life on 40 when he sliced a drive off Tongue but it went through the hands of substitute fielder Theo Wylie at backward point.
He pushed Atkinson to mid-on and ran a quick single to bring up his fifty from 81 balls with seven fours and the hundred partnership with Azan Awais. The first Pakistan hundred partnership of the series. Sham Masood edged Robinson just wide off Lawrence at third slip and ran to the third man boundary to take him into the nineties.
Azan Awais drove Tongue to the cover boundary. He pushed Atkinson into the covers for a single to bring up his third Test fifty off 78 balls with nine fours. but it took England 87 minutes to get their first wicket of the day when Azan Awais was strangled down the legside of Lawrence’s second ball. Only Root at slip appealed, both Lawrence and stumper joined in late. Root reviewed it and was right.
Babar Azam started in imperious form reaching 20 from 20 balls including a thunderous classic straight drive off Tongue. He looked solid in defence as well as he dug in. Pakistan’s captain tried to take his bat away from a short ball from Atkinson but Atkinson took the edge off his bat and the ball raced to the third man boundary.
A no ball from Robinson brought up Pakistan’s 200 for the first time in the series.
At last the Pakistan batsmen turned up for a match. The series may have gone but today they had their pride to play for. Despite the ground being sold out many with tickets didn’t turn up thinking that the way that Pakistan have batted in the series that it would be over before lunch. Pakistan started the day with eight wickets standing and 268 runs behind.
Babar Azam pushed Atkinson into the covers and got a couple to take him to his 34th Test fifty, this one came from 76 balls with eight fours. Unable to get wickets Root spread his field asked his bowlers to bowl bowl short and the tactic unsettled Babar Azem. He uppercut Archer and the ball found substitute Theo Wiley on the third man boundary. But he wasn’t on the boundary edge as he caught the ball, his momentum took him backwards and his foot touched the boundary.
But that mistake didn’t prove too expensive, in the next over Babar Azam’s 103 ball innings came to an end when he gloved a short ball from Tongue down the legside and Cox took a great catch diving to his left.
Mohammad Ghazi Ghori pulled Archer to the square leg boundary to bring up Pakistan’s 300. In the fourth over after tea Saud Shakeel took his eyes of a short ball, from and gloved it. The ball looped in the air and Gay at short leg took the catch.
Atkinson got his second wicket of the innings when Mohammad Ghazi Ghori got an inside edge and Cox took his second catch behind the stumps. Atkinson nipped one back to Imran Randhawa and took his inside and again Cox took another catch down the legside diving to his left.
Day 3
ENGLAND won the third and final Rothesay Test match at Edgbaston by eight wickets before lunch to win the series 3-0.
Taking them home was captain Joe Root with an unbeaten 62 and Jordan Cox who was undefeated on 59 as they shared a third wicket partnership of 128 in 24 overs. Cox’ innings poses a problem for the selectors because he has scored a fifty in each of his three Test matches that he’s played. Do they move him to open in place of Ben Duckett who has struggled for runs in the series or does Cox stay at number three if they do what happens to Jacob Bethel. In Pakistan’s second innings Cox replaced Jamie Smith, who was injured, and put on a good display. If they decide to play Cox as wicket keeper what happens to Smith.
Cox swept Saim Ayub to the fine leg boundary as he inched his was to his third Test fifty. He reached his fifty, which came off 51 balls, when he drilled Saim Ayub to the mid-wicket boundary. He powered Saim Ayub to the extra cover boundary.
He hit the winning run when he squeezed Randhawa out to point and a misfield allowed a single to be taken. ‘Root said: “I think Cox is a great player across all three formats and he’s got a lot to offer English cricket. The way he has managed pressure moments has been outstanding. And to see how he performed at number three was amazing.
He added: “The last two days have been traditional Test cricket. Pakistan played well last night and caused some chaos. Razaulla played some interesting shots, but I think we’ll be better for it. The contributions made down the order have been amazing.
I think that we are in a better place now than we were at the beginning of the season the way we have gone about it has been amazing. It’s been an unusual summer. A lot of different things have happened and the thing that I care about is the way that we have responded.”
Pakistan Head Coach Mike Hesson said: “ I think England are probably better equipped to deal with a Duke's ball than they are on a flat pitch. With those four seamers that England have, they certainly enjoyed a little bit of movement on the ball, I think that Australian batsmen can deal with swing, but seam is harder to deal with.
Losing the toss, dealing with some pretty good seam bowling, and giving England three or four soft dismissals in the first 90 minutes created a little bit of chaos in the changing room, but outside of that, I think the boys were nice and calm. I was really pleased with the way they showed some character the last couple of days. It wasn't perfect, but there were certainly some really good signs.
Any team would like to have Razaulla. He’s a guy that bowls at 90 mph. A really, great lad, enthusiastic about just playing cricket. The way Ghazi Ghori and Randhawa applied themselves shows that there are some really good signs and playing in these conditions which are quite foreign to them.”
Root’s 62 means that he has scored 1,000 Test runs on four of England’s Test home grounds but that doesn’t include his home ground of Headingley. But Root should have been dismissed on 23 when he dragged Mohammad Ali on but while the Pakistan players and fans celebrated umpire Paul Reiffel signalled a no ball. The next was driven by Root to the point boundary. In Mohammad Ali’s next over Root thrashed to the cover boundary.
After surviving a leg before appeal Root drilled Mohammad Ali through extra cover for three. Root edged Mohammad Abbas low between second and third slip and neither of them moved and the ball ran to the third man boundary. He cut Randhawa to the point to bring up his 69th Test fifty off 57 balls.
Chasing 130 to win, England lost two wickets in the first over. Duckett nibbled at the first ball from Mohammad Abbas and stumper Mohammad Ghazi Ghori. England could have been two down in the first over when Cox pushed Mohammad Abbas to point, set off for a single and just beat the throw at the bowler's end. They did go two down with the last ball of the over when Emilio Gay was plumb leg before despite him reviewing it.
Root uppercut Razaulla to the third man boundary. In the same over Cox crashed Razaulla to the point boundary. He looked at ease as he punched Mohammad Abbas to the cover boundary.