BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom, September 10, 2026: England did not need a century to turn the third Test at Edgbaston into another examination of Pakistan’s depth. Six batters reached at least 32, the lower order kept extending the innings, and Ollie Robinson then struck twice before rain ended Day 2 with Pakistan still 268 runs behind.
England were bowled out for 453 after beginning the day on 156 for four, converting an overnight lead of 23 into a first-innings advantage of 320. Harry Brook made 75, Dan Lawrence 65, Jamie Smith 69, Emilio Gay 60 and Robinson 50, while Jofra Archer added an unbeaten 32.
Pakistan then suffered the worst possible start to their second innings. Robinson dismissed Saim Ayub first ball and removed Abdullah Shafique three deliveries later, leaving the tourists 0 for 2 before Azan Awais and Shan Masood mounted a recovery.
Awais reached stumps unbeaten on 29 and Masood was 21 not out as Pakistan closed on 52 for 2 from 12.4 overs. Rain returned late in the day and, with no realistic prospect of a resumption before the cut-off, the umpires called play off.
England therefore leave Day 2 with the match firmly in their hands and with the possibility of completing a 3-0 series sweep still very much alive. Their control follows the pattern established on the opening day, when Pakistan were dismissed for 133 before England recovered from 39 for three. The Sports Encounter covered that opening-day collapse in our Day 1 report from Edgbaston.
England Added 297 Runs Without One Batter Reaching Three Figures
The most revealing feature of England’s innings was not the size of the total alone.
It was how the runs were distributed.
England resumed on 156 for four with Brook on 52 and Lawrence on five. By the time the innings ended at 453, five batters had passed 50 and Archer had added an unbeaten 32 from No. 10.
Brook finished with 75 from 97 balls, Lawrence made 65 from 82, Smith 69 from 84, Gay 60 from 114 and Robinson 50 from only 47.
No one dominated long enough to make a hundred.
Pakistan still had to absorb 89 overs and 453 runs.
That is the deeper problem England created.
Pakistan’s bowlers repeatedly found wickets, but almost every breakthrough was followed by another partnership.
Brook Set the Tone Before Pakistan Finally Ran Him Out
Brook began the day with England already ahead and immediately looked capable of turning the overnight position into a commanding one.
He and Lawrence added another half-century stand before Brook was run out for 75.
The dismissal was important because Pakistan needed a way back into the innings.
England were 229 for five.
Instead of creating a collapse, the wicket simply introduced Jamie Smith.
That is where the depth of this England batting order became decisive.
The broader series has repeatedly shown Pakistan creating openings and then failing to finish England off. The same pattern defined the second Test at Lord’s, where England recovered from difficult positions before securing a 194-run victory. The Sports Encounter examined that structural difference in our Lord’s series-clinching analysis.
Lawrence Turned an Overnight Supporting Role Into 65
Lawrence had started Day 2 on five.
He reached his fifty from 47 balls and finished with 65 from 82, striking nine boundaries.
His innings mattered because it maintained England’s scoring rate while Pakistan were trying to rebuild pressure.
England reached 200 in the 44th over and 250 in the 55th.
By lunch they were 299 for six.
The lead had already become substantial.
Lawrence’s value was therefore not simply his final score. He prevented Pakistan from slowing the innings enough to turn wickets into control.
Jamie Smith Took England Beyond Pakistan’s Realistic First-Innings Reach
Smith produced another important lower-middle-order innings.
He reached fifty from 54 balls and eventually made 69 from 84 deliveries, including nine fours and a six.
Pakistan reviewed his wicket unsuccessfully before Razaullah finally dismissed him later in the afternoon.
By then, England had moved far beyond Pakistan’s 133.
Smith has repeatedly given England runs after the specialist top order has been broken. That lower-order resilience was already one of the themes identified before the series in The Sports Encounter’s England-Pakistan series preview.
Robinson’s 50 Turned a Strong Lead Into a Crushing One
Pakistan had England 372 for eight when Smith was dismissed.
That should have created a realistic opportunity to close the innings before 400.
Robinson had other ideas.
The seamer reached his fifty from 46 balls, hitting seven fours and a six before Razaullah finally removed him for 50.
His contribution was particularly damaging because it came from No. 9.
Pakistan had already spent most of the day trying to contain Brook, Lawrence and Smith.
They then had to defend against a tailender scoring at a strike rate above 100.
England passed 400 in the 82nd over and reached 450 before the final wicket fell.
England’s Last Five Batters Added 185 Runs Between Them
The scorecard exposes the scale of Pakistan’s lower-order problem.
From Jamie Smith at No. 7 through to Josh Tongue at No. 11, England’s last five batters contributed 185 runs between them.
Smith made 69.
Gus Atkinson added 19.
Robinson made 50.
Archer finished unbeaten on 32.
Tongue contributed 15.
That is almost 40 percent of England’s entire first-innings total coming from the final five positions in the order.
It is also why Pakistan’s bowling figures tell only part of the story.
Razaullah Took Four but Paid Heavily for Them
Razaullah finished with four wickets on Test debut, an impressive return in isolation.
He dismissed Gay, Root, Smith and Robinson.
The cost was 148 runs from 23 overs.
Mohammad Imran was more economical, taking two for 47 from 16 overs, while Mohammad Ali claimed two for 92 and Mohammad Abbas one for 95.
The debutant’s ability to take wickets remains a genuine positive for Pakistan, particularly after his promising first day. But England forced him to operate in a game where every mistake in length carried punishment.
That pressure was exactly what Pakistan’s first-innings 133 had created.
England’s 453 Was Built on Depth Rather Than One Great Innings
Five England batters reached fifty.
None reached 80.
That combination is unusual enough to reveal something important about the team.
England did not need one player to carry the innings.
Gay absorbed pressure.
Brook accelerated.
Lawrence sustained momentum.
Smith extended the lead.
Robinson and Archer punished the tiring attack.
It was collective batting rather than individual domination.
That depth has become increasingly important during England’s Test reset under Joe Root and Marcus Trescothick, which The Sports Encounter began examining in our Headingley series opener preview.
Robinson Then Produced the Perfect New-Ball Start
Pakistan had already endured 89 overs in the field.
Their second innings began with another shock.
Robinson dismissed Saim Ayub with the first ball of the innings.
Three balls later, Abdullah Shafique was also gone.
Pakistan were 0 for 2 after only four deliveries.
The significance went beyond the wickets.
England had just accumulated 453 and forced Pakistan’s attack through nearly an entire day.
Robinson then denied the tourists even a short period of emotional recovery.
His opening spell ended at 6-3-10-2.
Saim Ayub’s Return Has Produced Two Ducks in the Match
Ayub’s recall has become one of the most uncomfortable selection stories of the Test.
He was dismissed for a 10-ball duck in the first innings.
His second innings lasted one delivery.
That means he has scored no runs from 11 balls in the match.
Ayub arrived in the side after playing in the Caribbean Premier League and without recent first-class preparation, a decision that drew criticism during the rain delay from former England internationals Nasser Hussain and Stuart Broad.
The issue is bigger than one player failing twice.
Pakistan made sweeping changes after losing the series at Lord’s, releasing seven players and bringing in a group of replacements before Edgbaston. The ICC confirmed that overhaul before the Test.
The Sports Encounter had already documented the instability surrounding Pakistan after England sealed the series in the second Test at Lord’s.
Awais and Masood Prevented a Complete Collapse
Pakistan deserve credit for what happened after 0 for 2.
Awais and Masood added an unbroken 52 for the third wicket.
Awais was the more fluent of the pair, reaching 29 from 30 balls with six boundaries.
Masood played the stabilizing role, making 21 from 42.
The partnership stopped England from turning the second innings into another immediate collapse.
Archer conceded 24 from 3.4 overs and Atkinson 16 from three as Pakistan began to score more freely once Robinson’s opening burst ended.
That recovery matters.
It does not change the scale of the deficit.
Pakistan Still Trail by 268
The arithmetic remains heavily in England’s favor.
Pakistan are 52 for two.
They still trail by 268 runs.
Even reaching parity requires another 268 without losing the remaining eight wickets.
Only after that would England be asked to bat again.
That gives Root enormous tactical freedom on Day 3.
England can attack with slips when conditions allow.
They can rotate Archer, Robinson, Tongue and Atkinson without needing to protect a small lead.
Pakistan, meanwhile, must spend a large part of Day 3 simply trying to make England bat again.
The Rain Helped Pakistan More Than England
The late weather interruption was frustrating for the hosts.
England had already removed two wickets and still had a fresh ball, a 320-run first-innings lead and a Pakistan batting lineup under enormous pressure.
The rain stopped play after 12.4 overs of Pakistan’s second innings.
With the ground increasingly wet and the cut-off for resumption approaching, the umpires eventually abandoned play for the day.
From England’s perspective, the weather denied the bowlers another opportunity to attack before stumps.
Pakistan gained time.
The scoreboard did not become any friendlier.
England Are Closing In on a 3-0 Sweep
The series was already decided before Edgbaston.
England won the first Test at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs before completing a 194-run victory at Lord’s.
The ICC confirmed that the Lord’s result gave England an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series and strengthened their position in the 2025-27 World Test Championship.
The official ICC World Test Championship hub tracks the wider implications of the series.
Edgbaston is therefore about completion.
England are trying to turn a series victory into a clean sweep.
Pakistan are trying to avoid leaving England without a single Test result to show for the tour.
The Series Has Exposed the Difference Between the Two Batting Orders
Pakistan’s first-innings totals in the series have repeatedly left their bowlers with little margin for error.
England have suffered batting collapses too.
The difference has been what happens afterward.
At Edgbaston, England were 39 for three.
They reached 453.
Pakistan were 48 for five in their first innings.
They reached 133.
That contrast has followed the series from Headingley through Lord’s and now Birmingham.
The Sports Encounter’s Day 1 analysis identified Pakistan’s fifth consecutive sub-200 total as the central problem of the tour.
Day 2 made the other half of the argument even clearer.
England’s batting failures do not necessarily end their innings.
Complete Pakistan First-Innings Scorecard
| Batter | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saim Ayub | lbw b Robinson | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | |
| Azan Awais | c Tongue b Archer | 9 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 45.00 | |
| Abdullah Shafique | c Lawrence b Robinson | 3 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 18.75 | |
| Shan Masood | c sub b Archer | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 71.42 | |
| Babar Azam | b Tongue | 7 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 38.88 | |
| Saud Shakeel | b Tongue | 43 | 47 | 7 | 0 | 91.48 | |
| Ghazi Ghori | lbw b Tongue | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 80.00 | |
| Mohammad Imran | b Tongue | 5 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 35.71 | |
| Razaullah | c Duckett b Robinson | 11 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 100.00 | |
| Mohammad Abbas | c Brook b Archer | 21 | 36 | 4 | 0 | 58.33 | |
| Mohammad Ali | not out | 5 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 26.31 | |
| Extras | b 6, lb 14 | 20 | |||||
| Total | 33.5 overs | 133 | |||||
England Bowling, Pakistan First Innings
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ollie Robinson | 11 | 5 | 15 | 3 | 1.36 |
| Jofra Archer | 7.5 | 2 | 25 | 3 | 3.19 |
| Gus Atkinson | 5 | 1 | 31 | 0 | 6.20 |
| Josh Tongue | 10 | 1 | 42 | 4 | 4.20 |
Complete England First-Innings Scorecard
| Batter | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Duckett | c Babar Azam b Mohammad Ali | 11 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 73.33 | |
| Emilio Gay | b Razaullah | 60 | 114 | 9 | 0 | 52.63 | |
| Jordan Cox | lbw b Mohammad Abbas | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 66.66 | |
| Joe Root | lbw b Razaullah | 8 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 44.44 | |
| Harry Brook | run out (Shan Masood/Saim Ayub) | 75 | 97 | 6 | 0 | 77.31 | |
| Dan Lawrence | b Mohammad Imran | 65 | 82 | 9 | 0 | 79.26 | |
| Jamie Smith | c & b Razaullah | 69 | 84 | 9 | 1 | 82.14 | |
| Gus Atkinson | b Mohammad Imran | 19 | 36 | 4 | 0 | 52.77 | |
| Ollie Robinson | c Shan Masood b Razaullah | 50 | 47 | 7 | 1 | 106.38 | |
| Jofra Archer | not out | 32 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 118.51 | |
| Josh Tongue | c Ghazi Ghori b Mohammad Ali | 15 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 75.00 | |
| Extras | b 18, lb 12, nb 12, w 3 | 45 | |||||
| Total | 89 overs | 453 | |||||
Pakistan Bowling, England First Innings
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Abbas | 23 | 1 | 95 | 1 | 4.13 |
| Mohammad Ali | 19 | 2 | 92 | 2 | 4.84 |
| Razaullah | 23 | 0 | 148 | 4 | 6.43 |
| Mohammad Imran | 16 | 1 | 47 | 2 | 2.93 |
| Saim Ayub | 8 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 5.12 |
Pakistan Second Innings at Stumps
| Batter | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saim Ayub | c Brook b Robinson | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | |
| Azan Awais | not out | 29 | 30 | 6 | 0 | 96.66 | |
| Abdullah Shafique | c Root b Robinson | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | |
| Shan Masood | not out | 21 | 42 | 2 | 0 | 50.00 | |
| Extras | b 2 | 2 | |||||
| Total | 12.4 overs | 52/2 | |||||
England Bowling, Pakistan Second Innings
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ollie Robinson | 6 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 1.66 |
| Jofra Archer | 3.4 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 6.54 |
| Gus Atkinson | 3 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 5.33 |
What England Need on Day 3
England’s plan is uncomplicated.
Break the Awais-Masood partnership early.
Expose Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel while the deficit is still overwhelming.
Keep Pakistan under enough scoreboard pressure that survival, rather than counterattack, remains the visitors’ priority.
The weather may still influence the match, but England have built enough margin to absorb lost time.
The official ECB England-Pakistan series guide confirms Edgbaston as the third and final Test, while the ECB’s 2026 international schedule also shows England beginning a T20I series against Sri Lanka on September 15.
That white-ball assignment is approaching quickly.
England’s immediate priority remains finishing Pakistan off.
TSE Analysis: England’s Depth Is Winning the Series as Much as Their Pace Attack
England’s bowlers have dominated the headlines throughout the series, and rightly so.
Tongue, Robinson and Archer have repeatedly dismantled Pakistan’s batting.
Day 2 at Edgbaston showed the other reason England have such a large advantage.
Their batting order does not end when the top four disappear.
Brook made 75.
Lawrence made 65.
Smith made 69.
Robinson made 50.
Archer finished on 32.
That distribution of runs is devastating for an opponent already struggling to reach 200.
Pakistan can take wickets.
They have repeatedly demonstrated that.
What they have failed to do is turn wickets into completed innings before England’s lower order changes the match.
That is why the gap between the teams has looked larger than the individual bowling performances sometimes suggest.
Final Verdict
Rain shortened the evening at Edgbaston, but it did little to change the shape of the Test.
England transformed 156 for four into 453, built a 320-run lead and then reduced Pakistan to 0 for 2 before Awais and Masood stopped the immediate collapse.
Pakistan finish Day 2 at 52 for two, still 268 behind.
England finish it with eight wickets standing between them and another opportunity to enforce complete control over the series.
The hosts have already won at Headingley and Lord’s. The ICC’s official Lord’s report confirms that England entered Edgbaston with the series secured at 2-0.
The objective now is a sweep.
After two days, Pakistan need the weather, a major partnership and their strongest batting performance of the tour simply to make England work for it.
For continuing coverage of the Test and England’s wider red-ball campaign, follow The Sports Encounter’s Cricket section.
