England clinch Test series sweep of Pakistan: Joe Root and Jordan Cox steer hosts to eight-wicket win at Edgbaston
England secure first home series whitewash of Pakistan with eight-wicket victory in third Test at Edgbaston after Mohammad Abbas opened day four with wickets of Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay in first over; Joe Root - bowled off a no-ball - and Jordan Cox notch unbeaten fifties in win
Saturday 12 September 2026 14:03, UK
England clinched a first home series whitewash of Pakistan despite an early scare by chasing down 130 on day four of the third Test at Edgbaston.
The thought of England losing the Test match would have been unthinkable when Ollie Robinson reduced the visitors to 0-2 on the second evening - Pakistan still trailing by 320 at the time - but it looked a genuine possibility when the hosts themselves lost two in their first over to start the fourth morning.
Ben Duckett (0) signed off a miserable series by nicking off first ball to Mohammad Abbas (2-27), who added Emilio Gay (0) lbw to finish a stunning opener.
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But any fears of England succumbing to a calamitous defeat were soon dispelled by their skipper as Joe Root (62no) struck a fine fifty, sharing an unbroken 128-run partnership with Jordan Cox (59no), who notched his third half-century late on, to secure victory in 24.2 overs.
Pakistan, meanwhile, will be left wondering would could have been, had Mohammad Ali not overstepped when bowling Root for 23 - dragging onto his stumps off a no-ball - with England just 35-2 at the time.
Will England stick with Cox for South Africa?
Cox's knock will have aided his hopes of retaining a spot in England's starting XI when the Test team are next in action for the three-match tour of South Africa, starting on December 17.
Jacob Bethell - injured for the Pakistan series - is expected to return to the side, but could he or Cox open the batting instead of Gay?
And were Gay to retain his place at the top of the order, Cox could yet fill in at wicketkeeper instead of Jamie Smith, who didn't keep during Pakistan's second innings due to an injured finger - though he has three months for that to sufficiently heal.
Pakistan were briefly hopeful of successfully defending a total of 130 or less in a Test match for the first time since 1993, when New Zealand were bowled out for 93, chasing 127, at Hamilton.
The last such instance of 130 or less being defended in England was when England set Australia 124 in the 1997 Ashes at The Oval and bowled them out for 104.
Pakistan unearth gem in Razaullah after series of struggles
In what has otherwise been a dismal series for Pakistan, they at least leave having shown some fight in this final Test by taking things into a fourth day and setting a target that briefly troubled England.
Also, in 21-year-old Razaullah, they have certainly unearthed a raw gem. The debutant knocked over England's all-time leading run-scorer Root in the first innings with just his fourth ball in Test cricket, on his way to a four-wicket haul, while his exploits with the bat on the third evening will live long in the memory.
When Pakistan's eighth second-innings wicket fell, they still trailed by two runs - England looking set to clinch their series sweep inside three days - before Razaullah proceeded to smash 81 off only 63 balls, clearing the ropes a staggering nine times to equal Tim Southee's record for a debutant.
Ultimately though, England are well deserving of the 3-0 series scoreline to herald Root's return as Test captain following Ben Stokes' international retirement earlier in the summer.
Butch: A lot of good things about England
Sky Sports Cricket's Mark Butcher:
"They were made to sweat for it at times, which is a good thing.
"It gave England pause for thought at times when it comes to differing conditions in Test matches - particularly with regards to South Africa and the ball not moving laterally as much.
"Perhaps a slight concern about the lack of centuries by the batters, but there was a lot of good things about England this Test match series.
"They weren't given much of a challenge for most of it, which is why yesterday was such a pleasing day as far as the summer is concerned."
Urooj: Major problems for Pakistan cricket
Sky Sports Cricket's Urooj Mumtaz:
"There are problems with Pakistan cricket, major problems. They lost this series, drew in the West Indies, lost to Bangladesh at home, where their record isn't particularly good.
"They have now lost 11 out of 12 away from home and 15 out of the last 20 Test matches. Those are telling figures, as were the size of England's wins.
"Pakistan maybe had just one good day of cricket in the Test series. There are ingredients to work with but a lot needs to be done right for longer periods of time if there is to be a brighter Pakistan future."
England vs Pakistan - series results
- First Test (Headingley) - England won by innings and 103 runs
- Second Test (Lord's) - England won by 194 runs
- Third Test (Edgbaston) - England won by eight wickets
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