England Complete 3-0 Test Series Whitewash With Resilient Edgbaston Victory

Joe Root captained England to a resilient eight-wicket victory over Pakistan in the third Test at Edgbaston on Saturday, securing a commanding 3-0 series whitewash. The home side, requiring just 130 runs to win, faced early turmoil when openers Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay were dismissed in the first over by Mohammad Abbas.

The record run-scorer edged his opening delivery from Razaullah through the slips for four, weathering a tense start before settling in to defuse the pressure.

Root received a significant reprieve when he chopped onto his stumps off the bowling of Mohammad Ali, only for the umpire to call a no-ball, leaving the Pakistan bowler distraught.

Playing alongside Jordan Cox, Root enjoyed another fortunate escape when he edged a delivery from Abbas into the gap between first and second slip, with neither fielder moving into position.

He reached his half-century off 57 balls with a crisp cut for four, with Cox matching the milestone shortly thereafter.

England reached the target in the 25th over, with Root remaining unbeaten on 62 and Cox finishing on an undefeated 59.

Root, who is serving his second stint as England captain following Ben Stokes’ departure, admitted his team was not yet a polished unit but expressed delight at securing the series victory.

“The amount of uncertainty, noise, and chaos heading into the series demanded a clinical response from the group, and standing here with a 3-0 win is incredibly pleasing,” Root told Sky Sports.

“It sets us up nicely looking ahead to the start of a new era under incoming head coach Stephen Fleming.”

This marks England’s first Test series victory since 2024, while Pakistan have now lost 16 of their last 21 matches and sit bottom of the World Test Championship table.

England had appeared set for a swift victory inside three days on Friday, but debutant fast bowler Razaullah launched an audacious assault with the bat, smashing nine sixes as he raced to an aggressive 81 off 63 balls.

The 21-year-old number nine, who also claimed four wickets in England’s first innings, forged a crucial 121-run partnership for the ninth wicket with fellow paceman Abbas (who scored 42) as England struggled.

“We experienced a bit of pushback yesterday, which, in a strange way, was a beneficial challenge for the group,” Root remarked.

“Fair play to Razaullah; he made things extremely difficult for us. He played some wonderful shots and made it very challenging to set fields. He struck the ball so well—I don’t know how he didn’t pull a muscle swinging the bat that hard.”

Although Razaullah’s heroics shifted the atmosphere, they came far too late for Pakistan, who have endured a miserable campaign, losing the first Test by an innings and 103 runs and the second by 194 runs.

The touring side sent seven players home following their crushing defeat in the second Test at Lord’s, bringing in seven replacements, including Razaullah.

They also dismissed head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and assistant Umar Gul as their tour descended into chaos.

Pakistan made four alterations to their side for the third Test, and they put up a fight despite being bowled out for a meager 133 in their first innings.

Captain Babar Azam admitted his team would need to regroup after a thoroughly one-sided series.

“Before arriving, we had to consider various factors and decide our team,” he said. “We made a few changes after losing two matches. Playing in England is very difficult. We were trying our best in the third match. We need to sit down and carefully review our mistakes and finalize our playing XI.”

The 3-0 whitewash provides a massive boost for England, who were in turmoil just weeks ago following a series loss to New Zealand and the departures of head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Stokes.

However, tougher challenges lie ahead, beginning with a Test series in South Africa in December and January, while a home Ashes looms next year.

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