England close in on Test series sweep against sorry Pakistan

England close in on Test series sweep against sorry Pakistan.

Key points

• But Robinson kept up the momentum, hitting 50 off 47 balls, and Jofra Archer smashed a quickfire 32 to heap more pain on Pakistan.
• Paceman Razaullah, 21, finished as the pick of the bowlers, with figures of 4-148 in his first Test.
• Imran struck again to remove Gus Atkinson for 19 and Jamie Smith's fluent knock concluded with a whimper when he was caught and bowled for 69 by Razaullah.
• Razaullah may represent a brighter future for Pakistan, but the present remains bleak for a team that has lost 15 of its last 20 Tests.
• Lawrence reached 65 before he chopped a ball from Mohammad Imran onto his stumps shortly before lunch to offer the debutant his first Test wicket.

England close in on Test series sweep against sorry Pakistan. AFP Published September 10, 2026 Updated September 10, 2026 10: 28pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

England moved inexorably towards a crushing series whitewash against Pakistan on Thursday with three days still remaining in a one-sided third Test at Edgbaston.

Joe Root's men have totally dominated the three-match contest against the hapless tourists and did not relinquish their grip during a fast-paced second day in Birmingham.

For context, the home side raced to 453 at more than five runs an over in response to Pakistan's paltry first-innings total of 133 to create victory almost inevitable.

But worse was to come for the much-changed visitors. This person discovered themselves 0-2 after four balls of their second innings, with Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique back in the pavilion, both dismissed by Ollie Robinson.

That raised the embarrassing spectre of a two-day defeat for a side that is a pale shadow of the great Pakistan teams of the past.

But Azan Awais and the experienced Shan Masood ensured there was no more immediate drama, steadying the ship to reach 52-2 before rain concluded play early on day two, needing 268 runs to produce England bat again.

Robinson, 32, has been almost unplayable in this series, taking 21 wickets at an average of under seven runs each.

He continued in the same vein in Birmingham, removing Saim. This person was dismissed for a duck in both innings, and then Abdullah to finish the day with figures of 2-10 from his six overs.

Shan, who was dropped at slip by Ben Duckett off Gus Atkinson, was at 21 at the close while Azan had 29 against his name, but Pakistan's position appears hopeless.

Earlier, England resumed their first innings at 156-4. It marked a significant recovery after they had been 39-3 on the opening day.

Their progress under sunny skies was checked when Harry Brook needlessly ran himself out for 75 when in sight of an 11th Test century, ending a fifth-wicket partnership of 86 with Dan Lawrence.

Imran struck again to remove Gus Atkinson for 19 and Jamie Smith's fluent knock concluded with a whimper when he was caught and bowled for 69 by Razaullah. This person celebrated his third wicket on his Test debut with gusto.

In practice, the blooding of the 21-year-old. This person had only played eight first-class games prior to his call-up, was one of the few positives for Pakistan.

While he was expensive, he posed a threat with his pace and aggression.

Jordan Cox is keeping wicket during Pakistan's second innings in place of Smith. This person suffered an injury to his left ring finger on Wednesday.

Pakistan have lurched from crisis to crisis during their ill-fated tour of England. It looks certain to end in a 16th Test defeat in 21 matches.

They published seven players and sacked head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and assistant Umar Gul after their 194-run defeat in the second Test, making four changes to their side in Birmingham.

For context, a 3-0 series win at the start of Root's second stint as the permanent skipper will be a massive boost.

Notably, the mood music has totally changed for a side that was in turmoil just weeks ago after a series loss to New Zealand and the exits of head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes.

For now, england close in on Test series sweep against sorry Pakistan remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.