England wrapped up a clean sweep of Pakistan on home soil with an eight‑wicket victory in the third Test at Edgbaston, but the real story lay in the individual performances that shaped the win. Who stood out for Joe Root’s side and who fell short?
For Jack Duckett, the series was a nightmare. His 17 at Lord's was the highest score of a dismal campaign, and his overall contributions failed to make an impact.
The only bright spot was his solitary Test hundred earlier in the summer against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, which temporarily secured his place at the top of the order, but even that is unlikely to guarantee a long‑term berth. Duckett also proved a bit clumsy in the slips, dropping three chances across the match. Fortunately, two of those drops came in the first innings when Pakistan were bundled out for 133 in just 33.5 overs, so the damage was limited. The debate over Haseeb Gay’s future in the Test XI has been ongoing.
The Durham left‑hander appeared to cement his spot with a gritty half‑century in the first innings – his third fifty of the summer – but a second‑innings duck reopened questions, especially as the injured Jacob Bethell edges closer to a return. Gay’s performance remains a key factor when the selectors consider alternatives. Mohammad Abbas delivered a superb spell in Pakistan’s second innings, preventing any serious threat to the English bowlers. Ironically, Abbas also suffered a costly dismissal in the first innings when he dragged a wide delivery back onto his stumps, missing out on a potential debut Test hundred.
Sam Cox’s fortunes swung dramatically. He was dismissed for a low score in the first innings, caught lbw by Abbas, but rebounded spectacularly on day four, sharing an unbeaten half‑century with captain Joe Root. Their partnership rescued England from a precarious 2‑2 position and steered them to victory. Root will have taken note of Cox’s temperament, as the all‑rounder displayed the kind of resilience the side needs.
Cox also kept wicket admirably when Jamie Smith was forced off with a thumb injury. He claimed four sharp catches and a stumping, including the dismissal that finally ended Razaullah’s massive innings.
When the team required a captain’s knock, Root delivered an unbeaten fifty on the fourth morning – only his third half‑century of a lean summer – calming any fears of a late‑order collapse. The win gave England a historic series sweep at home against Pakistan under Root’s permanent captaincy, although his own struggles with lbw dismissals continued; Razaullah trapped him on just his fourth ball of the match, marking Root’s eighth lbw of the summer across ten innings.
Root also moved ahead of Australia’s Steve Smith on the all‑time list for most catches by a Test outfielder, now sitting on 220. Harry Brook missed out on a first‑innings hundred after a careless run‑out on day two.
Brook has been England’s most reliable batsman in the challenging conditions this summer, notching his fifth fifty and reaching at least 20 runs in all but two of his innings. While a century has eluded him, his growing sense of responsibility with the bat, especially against Pakistan, is a welcome shift from the reckless aggression sometimes seen in the Bazball era. Lawrence earned the Player of the Match award, despite Ollie Robinson missing out on a wicket for the first time this summer. Lawrence contributed with bat, ball, and fielding.
His most memorable moment was a one‑handed, diving catch in the slips that dismissed Shan Masood just five runs short of a hundred. He also claimed two wickets in 4.4 overs of second‑innings bowling, breaking a 125‑run partnership between Masood and Azan Awais and later removing Razaullah to finish day three. Lawrence’s off‑spin was under‑utilised, a point of discussion as England looks to balance a four‑bowler pace attack for the upcoming South Africa tour and next summer’s Ashes.
With the bat, like Gay and Brook before him, he lamented a missed first‑innings ton after an innocuous delivery from Mohammad Imran ricocheted onto his stumps. The often‑overlooked player in this Test was the wicket‑keeper who suffered a finger injury on day one while standing up to the stumps, forcing him out of the gloves for the second innings. The injury appeared precautionary, as he still batted on day two, scoring a brisk 69 before being bowled by his own delivery. While Cox shone in the keeper’s role, Jamie Smith has been consistently reliable behind the stumps all summer and is likely to start if fit for the South Africa series.
Tom Atkinson endured a difficult series, taking only one wicket before the second innings despite often bowling in the second‑change role when the new‑ball bowlers were dominating. Root showed confidence in Atkinson on day three, handing him an eight‑over spell when Pakistan were 184‑3 in their second innings. Atkinson responded with the wicket of Masood and later dismissed Ghazi Ghori and Imran, though he eventually fell victim to Razaullah’s onslaught. Robinson continued his strong return to the side, dismissing Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique with the new ball in both innings, needing just four deliveries for the second‑innings wickets.
His first‑innings dismissal of Saim marked his 100th Test wicket, and his double strike at the start of the second innings lifted his series tally to 21 wickets at an average of 6.66, rising to 8.76 after Pakistan’s resilient day‑three display. While his potency wanes in longer spells – a potential concern on flatter South African pitches – his impact since rejoining the squad has been undeniable, and he also contributed a second Test fifty with the bat. James Anderson’s performance was mixed; one of his first‑innings wickets was a gift from Masood, while his second‑innings short‑ball dismissal of Saud Shakeel showcased his best. However, like several bowlers, he lost control late on day three as Razaullah unleashed a barrage of boundaries.
Overall, the summer has been encouraging for England’s pace unit, with Atkinson now featuring in five consecutive Tests after a period of injury. His recent spell of 4‑42 and 2‑106 reflects growing confidence. Mark Tongue delivered his trademark first‑innings burst, claiming three of his four wickets with the ball skidding through the stumps – a top‑order edge from Babar, a toe‑crushing yorker to Imran, and a sharp nip‑backer to Shakeel.
He proved expensive in the second innings, conceding over six runs an over, but his partnership with Archer in delivering bouncers proved effective until Razaullah steadied the innings, eventually edging Babar behind. England fans can catch every match of the international summer live on Sky Sports, including the upcoming white‑ball series against Sri Lanka, which kicks off with the first T20I on Tuesday. For those without Sky, the latest Sky Sports deals or the contract‑free NOW streaming option provide alternatives.