Pakistan’s troubles deepened on the opening day of the Edgbaston Test as another dramatic batting collapse left them struggling to keep England in check. With their confidence already shaken, Pakistan had made a big shake-up squad after their loss at Lord’s. For the match in Edgbaston, sweeping changes to their XI, handing out three Test debuts and bringing Saim Ayub back into the side. Captain Babar Azam had urged his team to approach the match with a “nothing to lose” mindset, but their batting once again failed to deliver.
ENG VS PAK 3RD TEST DAY 1: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD
Pakistan were bowled out inside 34 overs, losing all 10 wickets across roughly a session and a half. Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue caused most of the damage as England’s seamers exploited the conditions.
Robinson was particularly miserly, while also reaching 100 Test wickets faster than any post-war England bowler. Pakistan’s opening partnership once again failed to provide a platform, ending in single figures for the fifth time in the series. Archer then added to the damage by dismissing Shan Masood, leaving Pakistan reeling at 26/4.
Tongue continued the assault by removing Babar, clipping the top of the off stump and further exposing Pakistan’s fragile top order. Their first five batters managed only 24 runs collectively, their second-lowest such total in a Test innings since 2000.
Saud Shakeel attempted to hold the innings together, but support at the other end was scarce. Tongue struck again to remove debutant Ghazi Ghori and Mohammad Imran before eventually breaking through Shakeel’s defence after the left-hander had battled into the 40s.
Pakistan’s tail offered some resistance. Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Ali occupied the crease for 55 balls between them, with Ali carrying on despite taking a blow to his right leg. Abbas passed 20 for only the third time in his Test career, but the innings was eventually wrapped up before the 34-over mark, making it Pakistan’s third-shortest Test innings against England.
England began their reply cautiously, aware that the ball was moving sharply. Babar took a fine catch at slip to remove Ben Duckett in the fifth over, before Abbas trapped Jordan Cox lbw to reduce the hosts to 24/2.
Joe Root’s record-breaking day came with an unwanted twist. The England great moved past Steve Waugh to become the third-most capped Test cricketer, but his struggles against lbw continued. Debutant Razaullah trapped him in front, marking the eighth time in his last 10 Test innings this summer that Root has been dismissed in that fashion.
Emilio Gay provided England with the stability they needed. He remained patient and punished anything loose with drives, although one shot resulted in a painful inside edge that struck his back knee and briefly left him on the floor. Despite the blow, he carried on and continued to build his innings as Pakistan’s seamers occasionally found movement off the pitch.
Harry Brook proved an ideal partner for Gay. The pair survived periods of pressure, with Pakistan’s bowlers repeatedly probing around the outside edge and occasionally keeping Brook pinned to the crease with the wicketkeeper standing up.
Their partnership eventually crossed three figures, giving England their first 100-plus fourth-wicket stand at home against Pakistan in 20 years.
Gay was unable to remain unbeaten through the close, but his contribution still made him the first opener from either team to register a half-century in the series. Brook followed him to fifty alongside Dan Lawrence, leaving England firmly in control at the end of the first day.
– Ends
