Joe Root steered England to a 3-0 series whitewash over Pakistan, delivering a match-winning, unbeaten 62 at Edgbaston. Facing a target of 130 to secure the victory, England endured a rocky start as Mohammad Abbas removed Ben Duckett with the first ball of the chase and claimed Emilio Gay within the same over. England ultimately wrapped up the series, their first in 19 months, by reaching the target in the 25th over.
Root survived a major scare when he was bowled on 23 by Mohammad Ali, only to be granted a reprieve due to a no-ball—the 17th such infraction from Ali during the series. Pakistan’s final chance to shift the momentum vanished when a mix-up between first and second slip allowed an edge from Root to pass safely between them while he was on 38. This performance marked Root’s 110th innings of 50 or more in Test cricket, adding to his career tally of 41 centuries.
Jordan Cox provided essential stability, finishing undefeated on 59 to help guide the hosts past the finish line. Reflecting on the challenge, Root acknowledged Pakistan’s resilience, noting that they threw difficult punches throughout the encounter. He expressed satisfaction with the outcome, especially given the significant public scrutiny and uncertainty surrounding the team heading into the series.
The victory serves as a triumphant return to the captaincy for Root, stepping back into the leadership role following Ben Stokes’ retirement from international cricket. While the third Test at Edgbaston featured a spirited 81-run performance from Pakistan debutant Razaullah, England remained clinical. Interim red-ball coach Marcus Trescothick, who replaced Brendon McCullum, is now expected to pass the leadership baton to Stephen Fleming for the upcoming three-Test series in South Africa this December and January.
England’s bowling unit proved superior on the conditions provided, with Ollie Robinson leading the attack to take 21 wickets across the series. Robinson, named player of the series, emphasized that while the team enjoyed this success, they remain realistic about the tougher challenges ahead as they prepare to face stronger opposition.
Batting consistency remains a focal point for the side, as no player managed to score a century during the series. With Jacob Bethell set to return after recovering from knee surgery, competition for spots among the current top-order options—Gay, Dan Lawrence, and Cox—remains intense. Cox notably increased his standing by also managing wicketkeeping duties following a finger injury to Jamie Smith.
For Pakistan, the tour concluded as a chaotic affair, marred by a 320-run first-innings deficit in the final match. The visitors have now suffered defeat in 16 of their previous 21 Tests. The team underwent significant upheaval during the series, including the dismissal of coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and his assistant Umar Gul, alongside a decision to swap seven squad members after the second Test.
Captain Babar Azam lamented the lack of discipline in his side, citing too many soft dismissals as a primary cause for their struggles. Despite the series loss, Azam pointed to the emergence of young talent as a positive takeaway, noting that playing against a high-quality opponent provided valuable experience for the future. The team will look to reset as they head into their next assignment against Sri Lanka in October. The report also notes that on 38, edged Abbas between first and second slip who both left the ball for each other, pakistan’s last chance came and went when Root. The report also notes that they made it very difficult for us and in some ways it’s a good thing to go through that,” said Root. The report also notes that test cricket is not always going to go your own way but to see us actually be quite clinical with the bat off the back of that was good too. The report also notes that of course there’s things we will want to improve on but we came into this series with a lot of question marks and a lot of noise around the team and we’ve walked away 3-0 winners so in that respect I’m quite pleased. The report also notes that as it was, England’s total dominance made it something of a damp squib. The report also notes that england, attempting to reboot after the New Zealand defeat which followed the Ashes loss, will not be complaining.
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