Joe Root steered England to a comprehensive 3-0 series whitewash over Pakistan, anchoring a successful chase of 130 with an unbeaten 62 to secure an eight-wicket win in the third Test at Edgbaston. This victory marks England’s first series triumph in 19 months, providing a positive conclusion to a period of transition.
The final pursuit began precariously for the hosts, who lost Ben Duckett to the very first ball and saw opening partner Emilio Gay dismissed later in the same over by Mohammad Abbas. Root himself survived a major scare when he was bowled by Mohammad Ali on 23, only for the delivery to be called a no-ball—the 17th of the series for the bowler. Another opportunity for Pakistan slipped away when Root, then on 38, edged a ball from Abbas between the first and second slips, with both fielders hesitating to make a play.
Root’s performance marked his 110th innings of 50 or more in Test cricket, a tally that includes 41 centuries. He received steady support from Jordan Cox, who remained unbeaten on 59 as England reached the target in the 25th over. Reflecting on the match, Root acknowledged the pressure, noting that while Pakistan fought hard, the team remained clinical when it mattered most.
The series served as a successful return to the captaincy for Root following Ben Stokes’ retirement from international cricket. Despite a spirited 81 off 63 balls from Pakistan debutant Razaullah on Friday evening, England’s pace attack—spearheaded by player of the series Ollie Robinson, who claimed 21 wickets—remained consistently superior on favorable pitches.
Interim red-ball head coach Marcus Trescothick, who stepped in following the departure of Brendon McCullum, will now hand over the reins to Stephen Fleming ahead of the upcoming three-Test series in South Africa this December. While the batting lineup faces selection questions—particularly with Jacob Bethell returning from surgery—Cox has bolstered his case for inclusion after a poised display and an emergency stint behind the stumps due to Jamie Smith’s finger injury.
For Pakistan, the tour concluded a chaotic stretch that saw them lose 16 of their last 21 Tests. The campaign was marked by significant internal upheaval, including the replacement of seven squad members after the second Test and the dismissal of coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and his assistant, Umar Gul.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam expressed disappointment with the team’s performance, specifically citing a lack of discipline in the first innings and too many soft dismissals. However, he noted that the late fightback in Birmingham provided valuable experience for the younger players as they look toward their next assignment against Sri Lanka in October.
England, meanwhile, will look to build on this momentum as they prepare for tougher challenges in South Africa. Robinson emphasized that the team remains realistic about future hurdles, stating that while the series win is a significant step, the squad is focused on continued improvement against stronger opposition. The report also notes that pakistan, who conceded a first innings deficit of 320, showed commendable fight to take the game into a fourth day, but with Jordan Cox supplying solid back-up to his captain with an unbeaten 59, England eased to victory in the 25th over. The report also notes that they threw some punches last night, fair play to Pakistan. The report also notes that they made it very difficult for us and in some ways it’s a good thing to go through that,” said Root. The report also notes that test cricket is not always going to go your own way but to see us actually be quite clinical with the bat off the back of that was good too. The report also notes that of course there’s things we will want to improve on but we came into this series with a lot of question marks and a lot of noise around the team and we’ve walked away 3-0 winners so in that respect I’m quite pleased. The report also notes that as it was, England’s total dominance made it something of a damp squib. The report also notes that england, attempting to reboot after the New Zealand defeat which followed the Ashes loss, will not be complaining. The report also notes that but if England can keep the quartet of Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson fit, they will be a threat, south Africa will be much stronger opposition.
