BIRMINGHAM, Sept. 11, 2026 - England are in control of the third Test at Edgbaston and within reach of a 3-0 series sweep after building a 320-run first-innings lead and then reducing Pakistan to 52 for two before rain ended the second day early.
Pakistan begin Day 3 still 268 runs behind, with eight second-innings wickets remaining and the immediate task of simply making England bat again.
The position reflects the shape of the series. England won the opening Test at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs and followed it with a 194-run victory at Lord’s, securing the series before the teams arrived in Birmingham.
At Edgbaston, Pakistan briefly found encouragement through 21-year-old debutant Razaullah, who took four wickets in England’s first innings. But England’s batting depth turned a competitive opening-day position into a dominant lead, and Ollie Robinson then struck twice before Pakistan had scored a run in their second innings.
Pakistan’s first innings left almost no margin for error
The third Test began badly for Pakistan.
After England chose to bowl, Pakistan were dismissed for 133 in 33.5 overs.
Saud Shakeel made 43 and Mohammad Abbas added 21, but the innings never developed into a total capable of putting England under sustained pressure.
Josh Tongue took four wickets for 42 runs, while Robinson returned three for 15 and Jofra Archer three for 25.
Pakistan had already been under heavy pressure after losing the first two Tests, and 133 left the bowlers needing an exceptional response simply to keep the match balanced.
They made a start.
England finished the opening day at 156 for four, a lead of 23, after Razaullah produced an impressive debut spell that included England captain Joe Root.
At that point the match was not yet completely out of reach.
The second day changed it.
England turned 156 for four into 453
England resumed with Harry Brook unbeaten on 52 and then added another 297 runs for their final six wickets.
Brook made 75 before being run out. Emilio Gay scored 60, Dan Lawrence 65 and Jamie Smith 69.
None reached a century.
That hardly mattered.
The value of England’s innings came from the number of contributions and the rate at which they arrived.
Robinson, batting at No. 9, added 50, while Jofra Archer contributed a rapid lower-order innings as England pushed beyond 400.
The hosts were eventually dismissed for 453 in 89 overs, scoring at more than five runs per over.
For Pakistan, Razaullah finished with four for 148 from 23 overs.
Muhammad Imran, also making his Test debut, took two for 47, while Mohammad Ali claimed two for 92.
The raw bowling figures show both sides of Pakistan’s day.
Razaullah took four wickets in his first Test innings and dismissed established international batters. But England scored heavily enough that even regular breakthroughs did not prevent the lead from reaching 320.
Razaullah was Pakistan’s clearest positive
Pakistan made three changes for the final Test and handed debuts to Razaullah, Ghazi Ghori and Muhammad Imran.
Razaullah immediately looked capable of troubling Test batters.
His first Test wicket was Root, and he went on to dismiss Gay, Smith and Robinson.
A four-wicket haul on debut at Edgbaston is a significant individual return, particularly for a 21-year-old fast bowler entering a series in which his team was already 2-0 down.
But Test cricket punishes expensive spells as well as rewarding wickets.
His 148 runs conceded reflected the difficulty Pakistan had controlling England once the hosts decided to accelerate.
The challenge for Pakistan is therefore larger than finding wicket-taking talent.
They need to convert pressure into sustained control.
England repeatedly escaped from potentially vulnerable positions because another batter was able to continue the scoring.
England’s batting depth has become a structural advantage
The first innings was not dominated by one huge score.
That is precisely why it was damaging.
Gay made 60.
Brook made 75.
Lawrence made 65.
Smith made 69.
Robinson made 50.
Five separate England batters reached fifty without anyone making a hundred.
From Pakistan’s perspective, there was no single partnership or innings that could simply be removed to change the direction of the game.
England kept rebuilding.
That depth matters in Test cricket because it reduces the value of early wickets.
A bowling side can dismiss the top order and still face a wicketkeeper capable of counterattacking, followed by bowlers capable of adding meaningful runs.
At Edgbaston, England’s lower order converted a solid position into a match-defining one.
Robinson then damaged Pakistan before the rain arrived
Pakistan’s second innings could hardly have started worse.
Robinson removed Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique before Pakistan had scored.
Ayub fell first, followed quickly by Shafique, leaving the visitors at 0 for two.
That put Pakistan in immediate danger of an innings defeat.
Azan Awais and Shan Masood then produced Pakistan’s best passage of the second innings.
Awais moved to an unbeaten 29 from 30 balls with six boundaries, while Masood reached 21 not out from 42 deliveries.
Their unbroken 52-run partnership prevented further damage and took Pakistan to 52 for two in 12.4 overs.
Rain then intervened and eventually ended the day.
For Pakistan, the weather provided time.
It did not materially improve the match situation.
The arithmetic is severe
Pakistan trail by 268.
Their first objective is to score those runs without losing all eight remaining wickets.
Only then would England be required to bat again.
To move from survival to a realistic chance of winning, Pakistan would need much more.
A substantial second-innings total would have to erase the deficit and create a target large enough to pressure England on a surface where the hosts have already scored 453.
That makes the first session of Day 3 critical.
If England take early wickets, the match could finish quickly.
If Awais and Masood can extend their partnership and force England’s bowlers into longer spells, Pakistan can at least make the contest more demanding.
Rain remains another variable, but relying on weather is not a strategy.
England are one win away from a clean sweep
The wider series context makes the Edgbaston position more significant.
At Headingley, England won by an innings and 103 runs after Pakistan were dismissed for 171 and 135.
At Lord’s, England won by 194 runs after bowling Pakistan out for 110 in the first innings and 194 while defending 389.
Those results secured an unassailable 2-0 lead.
Edgbaston has followed the same pattern: Pakistan’s batting has repeatedly failed to produce enough runs to create sustained scoreboard pressure.
The problem is not one isolated collapse.
Across the tour, England’s fast bowlers have repeatedly forced Pakistan into recovery mode.
Pakistan have found individual resistance through players such as Shakeel, but not enough collective batting to control long periods of a Test.
The final Test is also a World Test Championship match
This is not only a bilateral series finale.
The match forms part of the ICC World Test Championship.
England entered the match sixth in the standings and can strengthen their position with another victory.
Pakistan, meanwhile, need more than a respectable final innings. They need results to prevent the series from becoming a complete loss in both bilateral and championship terms.
That adds another layer to Day 3.
A series already lost can still shape the World Test Championship table.
What Pakistan need on Day 3
The immediate plan is straightforward, even if executing it will be difficult.
Pakistan need to protect wickets.
Masood has to provide time at the crease.
Awais needs to turn his aggressive start into a substantial Test innings.
The middle order, including Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel, cannot afford another sequence of rapid dismissals.
And Pakistan need partnerships long enough to force England to bowl repeated spells rather than attack fresh batters.
The target is not 268.
That number only removes the innings deficit.
Pakistan need considerably more if they are to make England uncomfortable.
What England need
England require eight wickets to complete the series sweep without batting again.
Their position allows them to remain aggressive.
Robinson has already opened the second innings with two wickets.
Tongue and Archer were decisive in Pakistan’s first innings.
With a 268-run cushion, England do not need to chase the game.
They can attack the stumps, use the short ball selectively and force Pakistan to take risks if the scoring rate slows.
That freedom is one of the benefits of such a large first-innings lead.
Pakistan’s last realistic route into the match
For Pakistan, the third morning is about extending the game before thinking about changing it.
If they lose two or three wickets early, England could close the Test quickly and finish the series 3-0.
If Masood, Awais and the middle order can bat through long periods, the match can still be stretched.
Test cricket can change through weather, fatigue, pitch deterioration and one exceptional innings.
But the scoreboard does not hide the scale of the problem.
Pakistan were dismissed for 133.
England answered with 453.
Pakistan then lost two wickets before scoring a run in their second innings.
At stumps, they had recovered to 52 for two, but they remained 268 runs short of making England bat again.
The final Test is not mathematically over.
It is, however, firmly under England’s control.
Reader questions
Frequently asked questions
What is the score in the England vs Pakistan third Test at Edgbaston?
England scored 453 after Pakistan made 133. Pakistan ended Day 2 at 52 for two in their second innings, still 268 runs behind.
Who took wickets for England in Pakistan’s second innings?
Ollie Robinson took both wickets before rain ended Day 2, dismissing Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique.
How many wickets did Razaullah take on Test debut?
Pakistan fast bowler Razaullah took four wickets for 148 runs in England’s first innings.
Who scored fifties for England at Edgbaston?
Harry Brook scored 75, Jamie Smith 69, Dan Lawrence 65, Emilio Gay 60 and Ollie Robinson 50.
What is the England vs Pakistan Test series score?
England lead the three-match series 2-0 and can complete a 3-0 sweep by winning the third Test.
How much do Pakistan need to avoid an innings defeat?
Pakistan entered Day 3 still 268 runs behind England’s first-innings total and must erase that deficit before setting England any second-innings target.
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