Arya News - England’s pacers cleaned up Pakistan in 34 overs after the visitors’ top five batters failed to score in double figures.
Pakistan have claimed another unwelcome record on their cricket tour of England by becoming the first team to have their top five batters dismissed for a score of nine or fewer runs in the first innings, as the visitors were dismissed for 133 in the first innings of the third Test in Birmingham.
Babar Azam’s team included four fresh faces, including three debutants, after being sent in to bat by Joe Root’s England on an overcast morning at Edgbaston cricket ground on Wednesday.
The visitors entered the match having lost the series 2-0 and faced growing criticism of both their on-field performances and off-field decisions.
Pakistan sent home seven players and sacked both head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and assistant Umar Gul after losing the second Test by 194 runs at Lord’s cricket ground in London. England won the first Test by an innings and 103 runs at Headingley, Leeds, earlier in August.
Mohammad Imran looks at the stumps as the bails fly and he loses his wicket on day one of the third Test [Oli Scarff/AFP] Neither the new names nor the old guard were able to change the team’s fortunes, as England’s pacers tore through the top order to leave Pakistan reeling at 48-5 by the time captain Babar was dismissed in the 15th over.
Middle-order batter Saud Shakeel offered some resistance with an innings of 43 runs, while a debutant bowler survived the fast-bowling onslaught for 11 balls. Pakistan’s standout bowler Muhammad Abbas was the third player to score in double figures when he scored 21 off 36 balls before his dismissal wrapped up Pakistan’s innings in 33 overs and five balls.
All 10 Pakistani wickets were claimed by pace bowlers, led by Josh Tongue’s 4-42, which included the wickets of Babar and Saud.
Ollie Robinson, player of the match in the first Test, took 3-15, and Jofra Archer claimed 3-25 to end Pakistan’s ordeal.
Josh Tongue took four wickets for England [Oli Scarff/AFP]