Brydon Carse and Matthew Fisher have both been excluded from England's 15‑man roster for the third and decisive Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston. England are aiming for a clean 3‑0 series victory, with live coverage scheduled for September 9‑13 on Sky Sports after they dispatched the visitors by an innings and 103 runs at Headingley and then secured a 194‑run win at Lord's. Carse was removed from the squad for the second Test after the Cricket Regulator opened an investigation into an episode that saw the Durham bowler briefly taken into custody outside a Derby nightclub on August 22. Derbyshire Police are now probing "allegations of assault" against the 31‑year‑old, while right‑hander Sonny Baker has retained his place in Joe Root's side as Carse's replacement.
Fisher, who did not feature in the first two Tests, has also been left out of the final match. In addition, Carse was omitted from Durham's squad for their County Championship clash with Northamptonshire, which began on Wednesday, under the banner of "pre‑arranged workload management," despite having posted impressive figures of 4‑95 in the previous victory over Gloucestershire. Speaking at Lord's last week, England captain Joe Root admitted he was "fed up" by the growing stream of alcohol‑related stories surrounding the team. He added, "I spoke to Brydon and my first concern was for him as a person.
I don't think I'm speaking out of turn when I say he's very upset, very apologetic and understands his actions. I'm sure when he gets his chance, he'll say the same himself." England's interim head coach Marcus Trescothick has made it clear that his priority is to field the strongest possible XI in pursuit of a 3‑0 whitewash, rather than rotate players unnecessarily. This approach suggests that Sonny Baker and Sam Cook may remain on the bench unless the management decides to rest any of the in‑form fast‑bowling quartet of Jofra Archer, Ollie Robinson, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson. Pakistan's inexperienced side has been bowled out for under 200 runs in each of the four innings so far and has managed to bat beyond the 50‑over mark only once.
The relentless accuracy of Ollie Robinson, who finished the second Test with match figures of 8‑35, has been a key factor, supported brilliantly by the rest of England's seam attack. The current England squad lists: - Joe Root (Yorkshire, captain) - Jofra Archer (Sussex) - Gus Atkinson (Surrey) - Sonny Baker (Hampshire) - Shoaib Bashir (Derbyshire) - Harry Brook (Yorkshire) - Sam Cook (Essex) - Jordan Cox (Essex) - Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire) - Emilio Gay (Durham) - Dan Lawrence (Surrey) - Ollie Pope (Surrey) - Ollie Robinson (Sussex) - Jamie Smith (Surrey) - Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire) On the opposite side, Pakistan have trimmed their touring party, sending home seven players and two coaches after the series defeat. The departing names include Mohammad Rizwan, Imam‑ul‑Haq (who suffered an injury during the second Test at Lord's), Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad.
In addition, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul have been released, with Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke stepping in to fill the coaching vacancies. Seven new faces have been called up to the Pakistani squad, five of whom have yet to earn a Test cap. The newcomers include batters Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal, who have already accumulated eight and two Test appearances respectively, as well as left‑arm spin‑bowling all‑rounder Arafat Minhas, who has previously represented Pakistan in limited‑overs cricket.
Other additions are left‑arm pacer Mohammad Imran Junior, wicket‑keeper‑batter Saad Baig, and pace‑bowling all‑rounders Mohammad Imran (also known as Imran Randhawa) and Razaullah. The revised Pakistan Test squad for Edgbaston now reads: - Babar Azam (captain) - Abdullah Fazal - Abdullah Shafique - Arafat Minhas - Azan Awais - Mohammad Abbas - Mohammad Ali - Muhammad Imran - Mohammad Imran Junior - Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicket‑keeper) - Razaullah - Saad Baig (wicket‑keeper) - Saim Ayub - Sajid Khan - Saud Shakeel - Shan Masood - Ubaid Shah The third Test will kick off at 10 a.m. (11 a.m. local time) on Wednesday, September 9, with live broadcast on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event.
Viewers without a Sky subscription can explore streaming options through NOW, which offers contract‑free access to the match. All games in the series are being shown live on Sky Sports, and fans are encouraged to use the Chrome browser for the best video experience. In summary, England are poised to complete a dominant series win, while Pakistan are scrambling to rebuild after a heavy defeat.
The final Test promises high‑stakes cricket, with England likely to field their most potent attack and Pakistan hoping their fresh recruits can make an impact and prevent a whitewash.