England moved inexorably towards a crushing series whitewash against Pakistan on Thursday with three days still remaining in a one-sided third Test at Edgbaston. Joe Root’s men have totally dominated the three-match contest against the hapless tourists and did not relinquish their grip during a fast-paced second day in Birmingham. The home side raced to 453 at more than five runs an over in response to Pakistan’s paltry first-innings total of 133 to make victory almost inevitable. But worse was to come for the much-changed visitors, who found themselves 0-2 after four balls of their second innings, with Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique back in the pavilion, both dismissed by Ollie Robinson.
That raised the embarrassing spectre of a two-day defeat for a side that is a pale shadow of the great Pakistan teams of the past.
The mood music has totally changed for a side that was in turmoil just weeks ago following a series loss to New Zealand and the exits of head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. They released seven players and sacked head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and assistant Umar Gul after their 194-run defeat in the second Test, making four changes to their side in Birmingham.
