Joe Root’s No-Ball Escape Helps England Complete 3-0 Test Sweep Against Pakistan

BIRMINGHAM: England defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in the third and final Test at Edgbaston on Saturday, completing a 3-0 series whitewash after Joe Root overcame an early scare to guide the hosts to victory.

Chasing 130 runs for victory, England suffered a dramatic start when Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay were dismissed by Mohammad Abbas in the opening over. The early setbacks briefly revived Pakistan’s hopes of securing a consolation victory.

However, Root steadied the innings with an unbeaten 62, while Jordan Cox contributed an unbeaten 59. Their 128-run partnership took England safely to the target and sealed the series victory in the 25th over.

Root was fortunate earlier in his innings when Mohammad Ali bowled him for 23, only for the dismissal to be overturned because the delivery was called a no-ball. He later survived another opportunity when an edge fell between Pakistan’s slip fielders.

Pakistan had shown considerable resilience after being bowled out for 133 in the first innings. Debutant Razaullah produced a remarkable counter-attacking 81, including nine sixes, helping Pakistan set England a challenging fourth-innings target after the visitors had trailed by 320 runs on the first innings.

Despite Pakistan’s late fightback, England’s bowling attack had dominated the series. Ollie Robinson finished as the leading wicket-taker with 21 wickets and was named player of the series, while Dan Lawrence received the player-of-the-match award for his all-round contribution in the third Test.

The victory marked England’s first Test series win in 19 months and provided a significant boost for Root after he returned to the captaincy following Ben Stokes’ retirement. For Pakistan, the series defeat capped a difficult tour marked by squad and coaching changes, although Razaullah’s impressive debut offered a positive sign for the team’s rebuilding efforts.