On the first day of the third Test at Edgbaston, England dismantled Pakistan, putting themselves within reach of a 3-0 sweep of the series.
England’s captain Joe Root elected to field first under a moody morning sky, and Pakistan fell for just 133 runs. England then closed on 156-4, holding a lead of 23 runs, with Emilio Gay and Harry Brook combining for a partnership of 104.
Arriving at Edgbaston, the tourists were in disarray, having sent seven players home, called up seven more and changed their coach. The outcome closely matched what had happened in the first two Tests.
Pakistan’s top order collapses again
Pakistan failed to reach 200 for the fifth consecutive innings. None of their top five made double figures. Saud Shakeel managed 43, but the last-wicket pair of Muhammad Abbas and Mohammad Ali added 26 in 46 balls — the best partnership of the innings.
Josh Tongue delivered the ball at a high pace to finish with 4-42. Ollie Robinson surpassed 100 Test wickets with his 3-15, while Jofra Archer took the last three wickets.
It was a disappointing spectacle. Some 15,000 tickets were sold for today, yet the ground was not half-full when play began. The atmosphere was flat.
England wobble before Gay and Brook steady
England’s opening pair got off to a shaky start against Pakistan’s bowling attack. Root was dismissed by Razaullah, who trapped him lbw, reducing England to 39-3. That was the 10th time in 13 innings that Root has fallen that way. Duckett and Cox both played loose shots during their innings, though Cox’s mistake carries extra weight given how he is trying to secure his spot in the side.
In the evening light, Gay and Brook brought calm back to the match. Gay’s rough 60 stood out, even if it didn’t settle any doubts about where he sits in a crowded England batting order. Brook remained not out on 52.
Gay’s knock raises questions
Gay spent all of the summer building up the opening role, and now the returns of Cox and Dan Lawrence might put him at risk when Jacob Bethell comes back from a knee injury.
His innings helped his cause without proving he should stay on for good. He showed patience and watchfulness, and got through anxious moments of frantic running with Brook. From 95 balls, he brought up his third half-century in six Tests.
A weak nudge ended Razaullah’s knock, leaving behind lingering questions and a feeling of what could have been.
Robinson’s remarkable summer
More than two years after he was exiled from the England team, Robinson has come full circle: he began this summer in isolation, and now he closes it as the man leading the attack.
Before Robinson dismissed Saim Ayub for the second time, a decision against him had already been reversed. That strike was his 100th Test wicket, with an average of 19.34, and it made him the first English bowler since Ian Botham to reach 100 wickets at an average below 20.
Robinson’s three wickets on Wednesday pushed his summer total to 27, costing him 7.96 per wicket. Among bowlers with at least 100 Test wickets since World War II, no one has a better average than he does.
England’s attack too strong
All four of Tongue’s wickets came either bowled or lbw, and he targeted the stumps throughout. Archer got two mis-hits from mid-on, then returned to finish off the Ali-Abbas last-wicket stand.
The fields were crowded with markers, frequently holding seven catchers, and England could manage to let Duckett miss two difficult chances at first slip without suffering for it.
Gus Atkinson is the man who raises questions here. He has not bowled badly, yet he has failed to earn the rewards that his fellow seamers have enjoyed. His tally stands at a single wicket across the series, with an average of 156.
Pakistan’s changes fail to alter the contest
England left their attack untouched, while Pakistan made four changes for the third Test, including three players making their debuts.
The tourists’ struggles have been consistent across the series:
- Pakistan have failed to reach 200 in five consecutive innings
- None of their top five batters made double figures on day one
- Their best partnership was the last-wicket stand of 26
It was a September morning at Edgbaston, and the weather had the look of autumn about it. One side of the ground is currently being built up. From the very first decision of the day, when Root chose to bat, the whole course of play was plain to see.
What the series means
England’s victory appears all but settled before the weekend arrives, and the contest may well be decided within just two days.
It’s not at all clear what lessons Root’s developing England side can draw from this series, given how wide the gap between the two teams has become under these conditions.
England’s fast bowlers were the stars of the day, and the result followed a pattern set by the first two Tests. There was never any real danger of the match going the other way.
Source: bbc.co.uk
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.