England dominated a sorry-looking Pakistan yet again on day one of the third Test at Edgbaston, bowling the tourists out for 133 before closing on 156-4, with a 23-run lead. Emilio Gay (60) and Harry Brook (52no) each struck fifties in the final session to rescue England from 39-3 after their own top-order wobble, in which Joe Root (8) was pinned lbw for a 10th time in 13 innings by Pakistan's hugely-impressive debutant pacer Razaullah (2-42). Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Root had earlier opted to insert the visitors at the toss in overcast conditions, but it wasn't long before his side were preparing to bat anyway, as Pakistan lasted just 33.5 overs - their shortest innings in a series full of disappointing batting displays.
Pakistan 133 all out in 33.5 overs in first innings (put in to bat): Saud Shakeel (43), Mohammad Abbas (21); Josh Tongue (4-42), Ollie Robinson (3-15), Jofra Archer (3-25) England 156-4 after 39 overs in first innings (lead by 23 runs): Emilio Gay (60), Harry Brook (52no); Razaullah (2-42) Seven wickets fell in a chaotic morning session which saw Ollie Robinson (3-15) claim his 100th in Test cricket, before the innings was wrapped up soon after lunch. Josh Tongue finished with 4-42, dismantling the stumps of Pakistan captain Babar Azam (7), Mohammad Imran (5) and lone bright spark Saud Shakeel (43), while Jofra Archer proved potent once more, taking 3-25. The tourists failed to bat out a full 90 overs - the equivalent of a day's play - across their two innings in either of the first two Tests, and they will struggle to buck that trend barring a stunning turnaround this week.
Pakistan's 194-run defeat at Lord's, which saw them lose the series with a match to spare, prompted an unprecedented overhaul of their squad and coaching staff prior to the series finale in Birmingham. Seven players were dropped from the squad altogether, with four changes made to their starting XI and three of the newcomers making their Test debut. The only one with prior experience was opener Saim Ayub who, while no doubt grateful for the call-up, must have been wondering what he'd got himself into when trapped for a 10-ball duck by Robinson in only the third over.
Robinson also removed Abdullah Shafique (3) caught in the gully, the wicket sandwiched between a couple of freebies for Archer handed out by scrambled Pakistan batters - Azan Awais (9) and Shan Masood (5) both spooning simple catches to midwicket, the latter's particularly galling, as the visitors slipped to 26-4. Tongue then produced the prototypical fast bowler's delivery, angling in, nipping away and knocking back the top of off stump to see off Babar, while he added debutants Ghazi Ghori (4), lbw, and Imran, to a devastating yorker, prior to lunch. Razaullah (11), much like he would do later with his bowling, caught the eye with a couple of hefty swings of the willow either side of lunch before nicking Robinson to Ben Duckett, who made amends for a couple of earlier drops in the slips - Azan, three dliveries prior to his dismissal, and Saud when on seven.
Saud was next to be castled by Tongue, before Mohammad Abbas (21) and Mohammad Ali (5no) hung around and showed a great deal more fight than some of their top-order team-mates to add 26 for the final wicket - the highest partnership of a miserable innings. Ali had taken a painful blow on the ankle when batting, but was fit enough to open the bowling and claimed the early wicket of Duckett (11), flashing an edged to second slip in the fourth over. Jordan Cox (4) wasted a review on a plumb lbw decision against Abbas, before Root departed to Razaullah's fourth delivery in Test cricket, a devastating nip-backer from the 21-year-old talent.
Gay and Brook rebuilt impressively, sharing in a 104-run partnership for the fourth wicket that pushed England into the lead before Razaullah returned to bowling the former off an inside edge. England fast bowler Josh Tongue, speaking to Sky Sports Cricket: "Really pleased with the day. Coming here this morning, winning the toss, putting Pakistan in to bat, then bowling them out for 130-odd, we're in a really strong position.
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