ENG vs PAK 2026, ENG vs PAK 3rd Test Match Report, September 09

Lunch – Pakistan 100 for 7 (Shakeel 37*, Tongue 3-23) vs England

England’s pace attack were in total control of a hapless Pakistan at lunch on the opening day of the third and final Test at Edgbaston.

Josh Tongue had figures of 3 for 23 while opening duo Ollie Robinson and Jofra Archer took two wickets apiece. Robinson bowled with the frugality that has been a feature of his summer, taking 2 for 9 in eight overs, as Pakistan dined on 100 for 7.

Pakistan were off to the most abject start imaginable, even bearing in mind the off-field turmoil which had resulted in sweeping on-field changes with three players on debut. Before the first of them walked to the crease, they were five wickets down with just 48 runs on the board in the 15th over with captain Babar Azam making his way back to the changing room already.

Saim Ayub, playing his ninth Test after returning as one of four changes to the Pakistan side which lost by 194 runs at Lord’s, survived an early lbw decision against him on just the fifth ball of the match.

He had left a nip-backer from Robinson and was struck on this back thigh but reviewed immediately and was vindicated when the ball was projected to be going over off stump. But Ayub was unable to overturn another, correct, lbw call from Chris Gaffaney as Robinson collected his 100th Test wicket in his next over.

Archer saw Azan Awais put down by Ben Duckett at first slip, but Tongue held on just three balls later as Awais chipped straight to him at midwicket.

Dan Lawrence took a low catch off Abdullah Shafique to give Robinson his second for the match and, in the next over, Shan Masood fell tamely via a top-edged pull to sub fielder Theo Wylie at midwicket off Archer.

Floundering at 26 for 4, Pakistan needed to stability from Babar but he fell for just 7 to an excellent delivery from Tongue which seamed in off a good length and knocked back his off stump.

With Pakistan dipping into the debutants, the experienced Saud Shakeel chose to lead with a defiant 37 off 38 balls, including six fours, and he remained unbeaten at lunch.

Wicketkeeper Ghazi Ghori started brightly, cutting Tongue for four off his first ball in Test cricket. He survived an England review for lbw two balls later but, two after that, Tongue pinned him on the back leg and the leg-before decision was upheld on review.

Shakeel peeled off two fours in three deliveries from Gus Atkinson, through the covers and backward point, but his efforts looked in vain as Tongue nailed his yorker to rattle the stumps of another debutant, Mohammad Imran Randhawa.

The third Pakistan player on debut, Razaullah, showed willing and muscle if not aesthetics as he found the boundary twice off Tongue’s fifth over, his pull through midwicket and outside edge over cover not pretty but effective. By lunch, he was on 11 not out off 10 deliveries.

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