England navigated a nervy start to their run chase, eventually sealing an 8-wicket victory at Edgbaston to complete a 3-0 series whitewash against Pakistan. Tasked with a target of 130, the hosts faced an immediate crisis when they fell to 2/2 within the very first over of the innings. Ben Duckett was the first to depart, edging a delivery from Mohammad Abbas to the wicketkeeper, before Emilio Gay was dismissed leg-before-wicket later in that same opening sequence.
The early breakthroughs briefly ignited Pakistan’s hopes of an unlikely comeback, following the momentum generated by debutant Razaullah’s performance with the bat on the third evening. However, the visitors struggled to capitalize on their initial success. Razaullah proved expensive with the ball, forcing an early bowling change. Pakistan nearly claimed a third scalp when Mohammad Ali appeared to bowl Joe Root, but the celebration was cut short as the umpire signaled a no-ball for overstepping. Root capitalized on the reprieve, immediately finding a boundary, while Jordan Cox soon settled into a rhythm of his own.
As the partnership flourished, Pakistan’s opportunities dwindled. An outside edge from Root escaped to the boundary after a breakdown in communication between the first and second slip fielders, who failed to commit to the catch. With the scoreboard pressure non-existent, Root and Cox dominated the remainder of the chase. Root reached his half-century—a milestone that saw him set a new record for the most fifty-plus scores in the format—while Cox matched him with a composed fifty of his own. Their unbroken century stand ensured England reached the target comfortably just before the lunch break.
The match concluded with a final scorecard of Pakistan 133 (Saud Shakeel 43; Josh Tongue 4-42) and 449 (Shan Masood 95; Gus Atkinson 3-109), while England posted 453 (Harry Brook 75; Razaullah 4-148) in their first innings. The final chase ended at 130/2, featuring Joe Root 62* and Jordan Cox 59*, with Mohammad Abbas finishing as the pick of the bowlers with 2-27. The report also notes that england overcame a jittery start in pursuit of a tricky target to inflict a 3-0 loss on Pakistan in the Test series.
