England secured a comprehensive 3-0 series victory over Pakistan on Saturday, claiming an eight-wicket win in the third Test at Edgbaston. The hosts, needing 130 runs to complete the sweep, faced an immediate crisis when Mohammad Abbas dismissed openers Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay in the opening over.
Joe Root, serving as captain during this transition period, anchored the recovery. Despite an early edge through the slips off the bowling of Razaullah and a reprieve when a ball from Mohammad Ali was called a no-ball, Root remained composed. Alongside Jordan Cox, he accelerated the scoring, reaching his half-century in 57 balls. The pair guided England to their target in the 25th over, with Root finishing on 62 not out and Cox undefeated on 59.
Root expressed pride in his team’s clinical performance, noting the challenging circumstances heading into the series. “The amount of uncertainty, noise and I guess chaos there was coming into the series, the way the guys have dealt with that – being so clinical with what we’ve had in front of us – and be stood here with a 3-0 win is really pleasing,” he told Sky Sports. Looking forward, the captain emphasized that the result provides a stable platform for the arrival of new head coach Stephen Fleming.
The victory marks England’s first Test series win since 2024, providing a significant morale boost following recent turmoil, including a series loss to New Zealand and the departures of head coach Brendon McCullum and former captain Ben Stokes. Tougher tests remain on the horizon, with a tour of South Africa scheduled for December and January, followed by a home Ashes series next year.
Pakistan’s struggle in the third Test was preceded by a difficult series, having lost the first match by an innings and 103 runs and the second by 194 runs. The team saw significant internal disruption, including the dismissal of head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and assistant Umar Gul, alongside a major squad overhaul that saw seven players sent home after the Lord’s defeat.
Despite being dismissed for 133 in their first innings at Edgbaston, Pakistan showed late resistance on Friday. Debutant Razaullah, who had taken four wickets in the first innings, launched an aggressive counter-attack, scoring 81 off 63 balls with nine sixes. He shared a 121-run ninth-wicket partnership with Abbas, which briefly tested the English side.
Root acknowledged the difficulty Razaullah presented, noting the unconventional nature of the challenge. “Fair play to Razaullah; he made things difficult for us. He played some wonderful shots and made it very difficult to set fields to,” Root said. Reflecting on the match, he added, “We had a little bit of pushback yesterday which, in a strange way, was quite a good thing for the group.”
Pakistan captain Babar Azam reflected on the difficult tour, admitting that his team must now re-evaluate their setup. “Before we came here, we had to think about different things and to decide our team,” Azam said. He noted the difficulty of playing in English conditions and emphasized the need for the team to address their mistakes and finalize their playing XI moving forward. Pakistan remains at the bottom of the World Test Championship table, having lost 16 of their last 21 games. The report also notes that root, England’s record runscorer, edged his first ball, bowled by Razaullah, through the slips for four in a nervy start but settled and scored quickly to take the sting out of the situation. The report also notes that only for the umpire to signal a no-ball, leaving the bowler distraught, the skipper was given a huge reprieve when he chopped onto the stumps off Mohammad Ali. The report also notes that and Cox matched him shortly afterwards, but he reached his half-century off 57 balls with a cut for four. The report also notes that clubbing nine sixes as he raced to 81 off 63 balls, root’s men had appeared set for a quickfire win inside three days on Friday before debutant fast bowler Razaullah launched an audacious assault with the bat. The report also notes that swinging the bat that hard.”, he struck the ball nicely – I don’t know how he didn’t pull a muscle.
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