England were two wickets down after one over, and Pakistan briefly had something this series had rarely offered: a genuine opening.
Mohammad Abbas had removed both openers without scoring. A target of 130 suddenly demanded attention. When Mohammad Ali subsequently bowled Joe Root, Pakistan appeared to have found another breakthrough. Then came the no-ball.
Root survived, finished unbeaten on 62 and guided England to an eight-wicket victory at Edgbaston. Jordan Cox contributed an unbeaten 59 as England completed a 3-0 whitewash on September 12.
The finish captured the difference between the teams. England recovered from setbacks through partnerships. Pakistan created opportunities, then struggled to sustain or convert them.
Root’s second spell as captain began with a convincing series victory. Pakistan departed with an extraordinary debut from Razaullah, another reminder of Abbas’s quality and questions that extend well beyond the dressing room.
TL;DR
- England won the third Test by eight wickets and completed a 3-0 whitewash.
- Root’s unbeaten 62 and Cox’s 59 not out rescued the chase from 2/2.
- Dan Lawrence earned Player of the Match; Ollie Robinson and Mohammad Abbas received their respective teams’ series awards.
- Razaullah smashed nine sixes in an 81-run innings and shared a 121-run ninth-wicket partnership with Abbas.
- Pakistan failed to reach 200 in their first five innings before making 449 in their final attempt.
- England still need stronger opening partnerships, better conversion of starts and sharper plans against attacking tailenders.
England vs Pakistan Third Test: Scorecard and Key Information
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | England vs Pakistan, third Test |
| Venue | Edgbaston, Birmingham |
| Dates | September 9–12, 2026 |
| Toss | England won and chose to bowl |
| Pakistan first innings | 133 all out, 33.5 overs |
| England first innings | 453 all out, 89 overs |
| Pakistan second innings | 449 all out, 96.4 overs |
| England second innings | 130/2, 24.2 overs |
| Result | England won by eight wickets |
| Series result | England won 3-0 |
| Player of the Match | Dan Lawrence |
| England Player of the Series | Ollie Robinson, 21 wickets |
| Pakistan Player of the Series | Mohammad Abbas, 13 wickets |
| Decisive partnership | Root and Cox added an unbeaten 128 |
| Pakistan’s standout recovery | Razaullah and Abbas added 121 for the ninth wicket |
A Whitewash Built Before the Final Morning
| Test | Pakistan scores | England scores | England’s winning margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headingley | 171 and 135 | 409 | An innings and 103 runs |
| Lord’s | 110 and 194 | 290 and 208 | 194 runs |
| Edgbaston | 133 and 449 | 453 and 130/2 | Eight wickets |
Pakistan’s first five innings produced 743 runs, an average team total below 150. That left their bowlers defending inadequate scores and their batters repeatedly returning under pressure.
The final innings demonstrated that resistance remained possible. It also made the earlier failures harder to excuse.
Across The Sports Encounter’s England vs Pakistan series coverage, the recurring problem was Pakistan’s inability to connect useful spells into competitive matches. England could lose early wickets and still build a substantial innings. Pakistan usually allowed the initial damage to spread.
Joe Root: A Calm Finish to Captaincy 2.0
Root’s final innings supplied an appropriate ending to his return as captain.
Abbas’s opening over demanded judgment before aggression. Root and Cox settled, kept the scoreboard moving and denied Pakistan the succession of wickets required to defend a small target.
The captain benefited from fortune. Ali’s no-ball reprieved him on 20, while another edge later escaped the slip cordon. Pakistan could reasonably reflect on missed opportunities. England could point to what followed them.
Root used the reprieve decisively.
His captaincy should receive credit without turning three victories into proof that every English weakness has disappeared. Pakistan provided limited sustained resistance, and stronger opponents will punish loose passages more heavily.
Nevertheless, a team beginning another transition needs evidence that it can finish games. England supplied that evidence three times.
Dan Lawrence: Player of the Match for Contributions Across the Game
Lawrence’s award reflected the value of a complete performance.
His first-innings 65 helped England build control after early wickets. He then contributed two second-innings wickets and an outstanding catch to dismiss Shan Masood for 95.
The catch mattered because Masood had given Pakistan’s recovery substance. Lawrence later ended Razaullah’s assault by having him stumped, bringing the innings to a close.
A Test can turn through several smaller interventions rather than one enormous score. Lawrence influenced England’s position with the bat, the ball and his fielding.
For a side trying to distribute responsibility more widely, that versatility carries considerable value.
Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue Give England Sustained Pressure
Robinson’s 21 wickets made him England’s outstanding series performer.
At Edgbaston, he took 3/15 in Pakistan’s first innings and 2/54 in the second. His second-innings figures deserve particular attention: while Pakistan accelerated elsewhere, his 23 overs included eight maidens.
He also made 50 with the bat, helping turn England’s advantage into a 320-run lead.
Tongue complemented that control with wicket-taking impact. His first-innings 4/42 included Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel, and he finished with six wickets in the match.
England’s attack worked because pressure survived bowling changes. Pakistan could not simply negotiate one dangerous spell and expect relief.
The Sports Encounter’s analysis of England’s commanding second day showed how bowling discipline and contributions down the batting order reinforced each other.
Mohammad Abbas Deserved More Support
Abbas’s series award recognized quality that Pakistan’s results could easily obscure.
He finished with 13 wickets and repeatedly challenged England with the new ball. His opening over on the final morning offered a compact demonstration: Duckett caught behind, Gay trapped lbw, England suddenly vulnerable.
Yet a bowler creating those moments needs support from the other end, reliable catching and enough runs to defend.
Abbas too often lacked that combination.
His second-innings 42 also helped Pakistan avoid another innings defeat. A senior seamer contributing essential runs and then threatening with the new ball should have been part of a competitive collective effort. Instead, his performances frequently stood apart from the team’s broader failures.
Razaullah’s Nine Sixes Give Pakistan Something Worth Protecting
Razaullah provided the series’ most startling passage.
Batting at No. 9, the debutant struck 81 from 63 deliveries, including four fours and nine sixes. His partnership with Abbas added 121 after Pakistan had fallen to 318/8, still two runs behind England.
That stand changed the match’s immediate direction. England had to bat again and return for a fourth day.
Razaullah had already taken four first-innings wickets. His batting then forced England to reconsider an apparently routine finish.
The nine-six debut performance equaled Tim Southee’s mark for an innings on Test debut.
Pakistan should resist treating that achievement as retrospective approval of every selection decision. Razaullah deserves a development plan, consistent coaching and opportunities appropriate to his progress. One exhilarating innings cannot carry the responsibility for repairing an entire team.
Pakistan’s Batting Problems Went Beyond Saud Shakeel
Saud’s first-innings 43 again provided resistance while wickets fell around him. His ability to remain involved in difficult innings made him especially valuable.
However, describing him as Pakistan’s only contributor would misrepresent the final Test.
Masood made 95, Babar 76 and Azan Awais 59 in the second innings before Razaullah’s assault. Those contributions showed that Pakistan possessed enough batting ability to make England work.
The problem was timing and consistency.
By then, Pakistan had conceded a 320-run first-innings advantage. Their improved batting repaired some damage but could not erase it.
Babar’s responsibility also extends beyond his own score. A captain must help establish clear roles and competitive standards, even within a difficult administrative environment. His 76 was useful; Pakistan needed comparable influence earlier in the series.
The Lower Order Remains a Concern Despite an Exceptional Stand
Pakistan’s final innings should not disguise another vulnerable passage.
From 278/4, they slipped to 318/8. Four wickets disappeared for 40 runs, threatening to turn a substantial recovery into another innings defeat.
Razaullah and Abbas rescued that situation, but relying on the ninth-wicket pair is an unreliable batting strategy.
The distinction matters: Pakistan’s lower order produced a remarkable exception at Edgbaston, while the transition from established batters to the final wickets remained fragile.
Improvement requires practice against sustained pace, clearer partnerships with the last recognized batter and better decisions about when to attack. Occasional six-hitting cannot replace those foundations.
England’s Openers Still Leave Work for Others
England’s victory should not conceal the uncomfortable similarity at the top of the order.
Duckett and Gay both made ducks in the final chase. Earlier, England had slipped to 39/3 in their first innings.
Gay’s subsequent 60 means his contribution should not disappear from the assessment. Even so, the final morning demonstrated that England’s opening partnership remains unsettled.
The difference was the response behind it.
Brook made 75, Lawrence 65 and Smith 69 in the first innings. Root and Cox then completed the chase. England had several players capable of rebuilding, whereas Pakistan rarely assembled enough contributions within the same innings.
There is another improvement area: converting starts. England reached 453 without a century. That collective depth was sufficient here, but established batters must turn promising positions into longer periods of control against stronger attacks.
Razaullah Also Exposed England’s Bowling Plans
England’s bowlers dominated the series, but the ninth-wicket partnership deserves a serious review.
Once Razaullah began clearing the boundary, England struggled to close the innings. Abbas also found scoring opportunities, ensuring the attack could not concentrate solely on the debutant.
That raises practical questions about changes of length, boundary protection and how quickly the captain adjusts when an attacking tailender succeeds repeatedly.
England conceded 39 byes and leg byes in Pakistan’s second innings as well. Those runs did not decide the result, but they added to an avoidable workload.
Root can celebrate the whitewash while asking why a side at 318/8 reached 449. The third-day fightback report explains how dramatically that passage altered England’s expected finish.
PCB’s Upheaval Demands Accountability
Pakistan’s difficulties extended beyond technique.
Seven players returned home after Lord’s, while Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul lost their coaching roles. Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke arrived before the final Test.
Such extensive changes require more than an announcement. The PCB must explain the original selections, the reasons for reversing them and the preparation offered to replacements.
Saim Ayub’s recall became an especially sharp example. He arrived from the Caribbean Premier League and made a pair at Edgbaston. The Sports Encounter’s coverage of Nasser Hussain’s criticism examined the gap between recent T20 form and readiness for an English Test.
Players remain accountable for execution. Administrators and selectors remain accountable for the conditions in which they expect that execution to happen.
Constant change makes it harder to establish either confidence or a coherent method.
What Is Confirmed About the Player Investigations?
The PCB confirmed an internal inquiry into discipline and conduct.
Separately, Geo News reported that Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq were questioned by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, or NCCIA, following reported examination of mobile-phone data. Its account relied on sources and concerned alleged dressing-room leaks and tour activities. Geo’s reporting also noted board sources disputing unverified claims circulating in the media.
These reports do not establish guilt or a match-fixing offense.
That distinction protects the accuracy of any assessment. Pakistan’s cricketing failures are visible in the results. Investigative questions require evidence and due process.
The PCB should communicate clearly enough to prevent uncertainty from becoming another source of pressure on the remaining squad.
England Have a Platform; Pakistan Need a Credible Plan
England leave this series with dependable bowling, several productive middle-order options and a captain who completed the final chase himself.
Their next improvement must come from stronger starts, longer innings and better control when opponents counterattack.
Pakistan need defined selection responsibilities, preparation suited to Test cricket and sustained investment in players such as Razaullah. The Sports Encounter’s assessment of Pakistan’s red-ball rebuilding options provides broader context for that task, alongside continuing coverage in the cricket news hub.
Razaullah gave Pakistan a performance worth remembering. Abbas gave them standards worth following. England gave them a clear measure of how far the collective effort still has to travel.
