Joe Root guided England to a dominant 3-0 series whitewash over Pakistan, finishing with an unbeaten 62 to secure an eight-wicket victory in the third Test at Edgbaston. The win marks England’s first series success in 19 months, providing a positive conclusion to a campaign that began under a cloud of uncertainty.
Chasing a target of 130, England faced immediate pressure when Mohammad Abbas dismissed Ben Duckett with the first ball of the innings, followed by Emilio Gay later in the same over. Root, however, steadied the ship. He enjoyed a stroke of luck on 23 when he was bowled by Mohammad Ali off a no-ball—the 17th such delivery Ali conceded during the series. Another opportunity for Pakistan slipped away when a chance off Abbas went between the first and second slip fielders while Root was on 38.
Root’s innings, his 110th score of 50 or more in Test cricket, included his 41st half-century. He was well-supported by Jordan Cox, who remained unbeaten on 59 as England reached their target in the 25th over. This performance followed a first-innings deficit of 320 for Pakistan, who had managed to extend the match into a fourth day.
Reflecting on the series, Root acknowledged the difficulties posed by the opposition, stating, “Fair play to Pakistan, they threw some punches last night. They made it very difficult for us and in some ways it’s a good thing to go through that.” He noted that while there are areas for improvement, the team successfully navigated the external noise and questions surrounding their form to emerge as clear winners.
The series served as a return to the captaincy for Root following the retirement of Ben Stokes. Interim red-ball coach Marcus Trescothick, who stepped in after the departure of Brendon McCullum, will now hand over the reins to Stephen Fleming for the upcoming three-Test series in South Africa this December and January. While South Africa is expected to provide a stiffer test, England remains optimistic about their pace attack, provided Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, and Gus Atkinson remain fit.
Robinson, named player of the series after claiming 21 wickets, expressed a grounded outlook: “I’m a realist, I know it’s not always going to be like this. We know there’s going to be tougher times ahead.” The English bowling unit proved consistently superior on helpful surfaces throughout the series, though the batting lineup remains a work in progress with no individual centuries recorded.
For Pakistan, the tour has been tumultuous, resulting in 16 losses in their last 21 Tests. The team underwent significant upheaval, including the replacement of seven squad members after the second Test and the dismissal of coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and his assistant Umar Gul. Despite the chaos, captain Babar Azam found some positives in the performance of younger players, particularly the debutant Razaullah, who impressed with an 81-run knock off 63 balls on Friday.
“We had a couple of good moments. I think we have bowled well but I think the first innings cost us. Too many soft dismissals,” Babar admitted. He added that the experience of facing high-quality opposition would prove beneficial for the team’s future as they prepare for their next challenge against Sri Lanka in October. The report also notes that a total which includes 41 hundreds, it was Root’s 110th innings of 50 or more in test cricket. 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 if only Pakistan had shown up in the first two tests as they did belatedly in Birmingham this could have been an enthralling series. 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 we have some tough opposition coming up and we’re looking forward to the challenge. The report also notes that one batsman out of Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence and Cox will have to make way, with Jacob Bethell due to come back in for the winter tour after knee surgery.