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Ben Stokes hated the word ‘ruthless’ because he felt it was only ever used after the event, but Joe Root’s England clearly have no such qualms.
Needing victory to wrap up a 3–0 whitewash and send them into their winter programme of six Tests in South Africa, Bangladesh and Australia in good heart, they dismantled Pakistan’s flimsy batting yet again, before a century stand between Emilio Gay and Harry Brook eased them into the lead as the shadows fell across Edgbaston.
Root himself fell lbw for the 10th time in 13 innings, a raucous maiden Test wicket for the 21-year-old debutant fast bowler Razaullah.
But it was a rare blot on a day when England – who closed on 156 for four, a lead of 23 – confirmed their superiority over a demoralised and deflated Pakistan.
Two years ago, England reacted to the possibility of a 3–0 win over Sri Lanka and a first perfect Test summer for 20 years by handing a debut to the unknown Leicestershire left-arm seamer Josh Hull. It was too clever by half, the worst kind of Bazball affectation. England lost by eight wickets, and Hull is yet to win a second cap.
Later that year, they went two up in New Zealand, then celebrated too hard after victory in Wellington. In the final Test at Hamilton, they were a rabble, losing by 423 runs – an unserious conclusion to a weighty series win.
Ollie Robinson claims Abdullah Shafique, one of his four wickets during another dismal Pakistan batting display
But Root’s team have been determined to avoid another pratfall. They returned to training on Sunday, three days before the start of this Test, prompting one insider to remark: ‘That would never have happened with a 2–0 lead under the old regime.’
And in his pre-match press conference Root himself deadbatted any suggestion that selectorial thoughts were already drifting towards Johannesburg on December 17. His entire focus, he said, was on the here and now, on reacquainting his players with the feeling of victory. The opposition have been poor, and the cricket not always thrilling, but it sure beats the alternative.
Root has been helped by a seam attack that is operating – three-quarters of it, at least – at the peak of its powers. Ollie Robinson began the procession once more, and finished with three for 15, taking his series figures to 19 wickets at 6.84. Josh Tongue picked up four, leaving him with 17 at 12, and Jofra Archer three, to move to 11 at 18.
Only Gus Atkinson failed to chip in, his analysis of none for 31 from five inconsistent overs taking his series aggregate to a single wicket at 156. Deprived of the new ball, he is struggling to reinvent himself as a change bowler, even if he hasn’t always enjoyed much luck.
The Pakistan innings was as sorry an enterprise as we have come to expect, and every bit as chaotic as the off-field shenanigans that preceded it.
Saim Ayub, one of four players drafted into the side from a group of seven summoned in the aftermath of the defeat at Lord’s, was trapped for a 10-ball duck by Robinson, giving him 100 Test wickets at an average below 20 – a feat achieved for England in the last 60 years only by Ian Botham and Derek Underwood. And it was the signal for Pakistan to unravel in hapless fashion on a blameless surface.
Saud Shakeel is bowled by Josh Tongue after top scoring for Pakistan with 43
Azan Awais and Shan Masood were both caught at midwicket aiming dreadful shots at Archer, while Abdullah Shafique nibbled Robinson low to Dan Lawrence in the cordon.
The day before, Babar Azam had left his press conference in a hurry as the questions rained down about the Pakistan Cricket Board’s dramatic intervention, and he didn’t linger long here either, trapped on the crease for seven by a nipbacker from Tongue which hit the top of off stump.
He has now scored 21 runs in three innings since returning from the hand injury that ruled him out at Headingley, and looks a lost soul, whether the inquisition is coming from the pacemen or the press.
His dismissal also meant the top five had all fallen for single figures – unprecedented for the first innings of a Test match, yet entirely predictable for a team devoid of confidence and identity.
As in the second innings at Lord’s, Saud Shakeel fought a lone hand, until he was bowled for 43 by a delivery from Tongue so good – nipping back through the gate to take out off stump – that the batsman allowed himself a nod of appreciation. Otherwise, most resistance came from Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Ali, whose last-wicket stand of 26 was the highest of the innings.
All out for 133, Pakistan have now been dismissed for fewer than 200 for a national-record five innings in a row – and in the equivalent of just seven sessions.
Emilio Gay chops on to end a promising innings after a second half-century of the Test summer
As if in a hurry to take the lead, Ben Duckett continued his poor series when he edged a loose drive off Mohammad Ali to second slip for 11, before Jordan Cox was pinned for four by an inducker from Mohammad Abbas.
And Pakistan were eyeing an improbable comeback when Razaullah trapped Root on the crease with his fourth ball as a Test cricketer and celebrated his team’s best moment of a farcical tour with gusto.
But Gay, playing with care and attention– and possibly for his Test place – put on a restorative 104 with Brook before dragging a wide one from Razaullah on to his stumps. A Test-best 60 made some kind of statement before the winter tours, but he walked off knowing it might have been better.
Still, with Brook bringing up his own half-century, England were in control. Don’t tell Stokes, but it all felt suspiciously ruthless.
