England clinched a first home series whitewash of Pakistan with an eight-wicket win in the third Test at Edgbaston, but who stood out from Joe Root’s side – and who didn’t?
Ben Duckett – 3
Batting: 11 and 0
England opener Ben Duckett struggled during the series, scoring a combined 44 runs over his five innings
A Test match to forget for Duckett. In fact, it has been a pretty miserable series as a whole, with his first-innings 17 at Lord’s serving as his highest score.
He did, however, notch England’s only Test ton of the summer against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, so his place at the top of the order isn’t under threat – at least for now…
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He was also a bit butter-fingered in the slips this week, dropping three chances, albeit his two put down in the first innings didn’t prove too costly as Pakistan were still bundled out for 133 in only 33.5 overs.
Emilio Gay – 6
Batting: 60 and 0
It has been a bit of a back-and-forth affair with regards to Gay’s place in the starting Test side going forward, with the Durham left-hander seemingly locking up his spot with another battling half-century in the first innings – his third such score this summer.
But then his second-innings duck has somewhat opened up the debate again, especially given the performance of others who could end up elbowing him out of the way when the currently injured Jacob Bethell likely returns to the team.
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It was, admittedly, a terrific delivery from Mohammad Abbas that ensured he wouldn’t trouble the scorers in the second innings, but it’s precisely why he’ll be kicking himself with how he got out first time round – dragging a wide one from Razaullah back onto his stumps – when a first Test hundred was there for the taking.
Jordan Cox – 7
Batting: 4 and 59no
Much like Gay, Cox’s fortunes and future prospects see-sawed a touch over the course of this Test, as he copped a low one in the first innings – also falling foul of Abbas, lbw – but his calm, unbeaten half-century alongside the skipper on the fourth morning saw England to victory from a positon of peril at 2-2.
Jordan Cox scored 59 hugely valuable runs as part of an unbroken 128-run partnership with Joe Root that took England to victory at Edgbaston
It will have been hard for Joe Root not to have taken note of that, as he looks for the right sort of characters to take this side forward. And Cox seems to have character in spades.
That was also evident with his keeping, when deputising impressively for Jamie Smith, who sat out the second innings with an injured thumb. He claimed four terrific catches and a stumping to finally end Razaullah’s extraordinary knock.
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Joe Root – 7
Batting: 8 and 62no
Just when England needed a captain’s innings, Root duly obliged, his unbeaten half-century on the fourth morning – just his third of a barren summer by his standards – allaying any fears of a catastrophic late collapse to defeat.
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Instead, he celebrates a series sweep – England’s first at home over Pakistan – on his return as permanent Test captain, though his lbw issues persist after Razaullah was the one to pin him in the first innings, in spectacular fashion with only his fourth ball in Test cricket. It takes Root’s tally to eight such dismissals from his 10 Test innings’ this summer.
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Also, he moved one clear of Australia’s Steve Smith and onto 220 in their personal battle to claim the record number of catches by an outfielder in Test cricket.
Harry Brook – 7
Batting: 75
Brook will be another kicking himself for missing out on a hundred in the first innings, with one seemingly at his mercy before he needlessly ran himself out on the second morning.
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He’s been England’s most consistent batter in the testing conditions served up this summer, with this his fifth half-century, while he has had starts of at least 20 in all but two of his innings.
It will make him all the more frustrated at the fact that a century has eluded him, but he has shown greater responsibility with the bat – certainly against Pakistan – which is encouraging after fans began growing tired of his, at times, reckless approach in the Bazball era.
Dan Lawrence – 8
Batting: 65
Bowling: 2-17
Player of the match. With Ollie Robinson denied for the first time in a Test he’s played this summer.
Lawrence is another vying for a regular place in this side and he’s certainly done his chances no harm, with bat, ball and in the field.
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His standout contribution was a spectacular catch in the slips – one-handed, diving low to his right – to see off Shan Masood five shy of a century. But he also grabbed two wickets in his 4.4 second-innings overs, including Azan Awais (59) to end his 125-run third-wicket stand with Masood and finally the wicket of Razaullah to end day three.
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If anything his off-spin was under-used, with that being a key string to his bow to support England’s preference for a four-pronged pace attack looking ahead to the winter tour of South Africa and next summer’s Ashes.
With the bat, like Gay and Brook before him, he’ll rue missing out on a first-innings ton when dragging a rather innocuous delivery from Mohammad Imran back onto his stumps.
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Jamie Smith – 7
Batting: 69
The forgotten man in this Test, with his involvement ended two days in, as a blow to the finger when stood up to the stumps on day one prevented him from donning the gloves in the second innings.
It looks a precautionary measure more than anything, with it not keeping him from batting on day two as he again impressed with a typically brisk 69 before chipping one back to Razaullah off his own bowling.
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While Cox impressed in his absence, Smith has also barely put a foot wrong behind the stumps all summer, so he’ll likely still start if fit for South Africa.
Gus Atkinson – 6
Bowling: 0-31 and 3-109
Batting: 19
It’s been tough sledding for Atkinson this series, with only one wicket to show for his efforts prior to the second innings – as the rest of the pace quartet profited.
He has bowled better than his numbers would suggest, often coming on as second change, sidelined as others wreaked havoc with the new ball and when bowling to the tail.
Gus Atkinson claimed three second-innings wickets after having only taken one through the first two and a half Tests
But Root showed faith in his fast bowler after lunch on day three, with Pakistan 184-3 in their second innings, letting him loose for an eight-over spell that was his best yet and brought with it the wicket of Masood – as much as he owed a debt of gratitude to Lawrence too.
He’d later add Ghazi Ghori and Imran before he too couldn’t escape punishment from the blade of Razaullah.
Ollie Robinson – 8
Bowling: 3-15 and 2-54
Batting: 50
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Robinson was at it yet again with the new ball, dismissing Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique in his opening spell in both innings, needing only four deliveries to see the back of them second time round – the former out for a pair upon his sudden, surprise call up to the touring side in between Tests that did him no favours.
Robinson’s wicket of Saim in the first innings was his 100th in Test cricket, while his double strike in the first over of the second took his tally for the series to 21 at an average of 6.66 a pop, which grew to just the 8.76 apiece upon Pakistan’s battling display on day three.
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In all seriousness, his effectiveness does diminish when taken deep into later spells, which could be a concern on flatter decks if that’s what awaits in South Africa or next year’s Ashes, but it’s extremely hard to pick fault given just how impressive his reintroduction to the side has been this summer.
Also pitched in with the bat, scoring his second Test fifty.
Jofra Archer – 6
Bowling: 3-25 and 1-120
Batting: 32no
Jofra Archer has taken 23 wickets at an average of 24.82 apiece over the five Tests he’s played this summer
Not his best showing, with at least one of his three first-innings wickets a real gift from Masood, spooned straight to midwicket.
His dismissal of Saud Shakeel to a brute of a short ball in the second gave nod to him at his best, but he was one of several England bowlers to lose the plot late on the third evening as Razaullah smacked them to all parts.
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Still, an encouraging summer on the whole, with five consecutive Tests for the previously injury-plagued pacer a real tick for England.
Josh Tongue – 7
Bowling: 4-42 and 2-106
Batting: 15
Trademark Tongue in the first innings, with three of his four wickets scattering the stumps – the top of Babar’s off peg knocked back with the fast bowler’s dream delivery, Imran undone by a toe-crushing yorker and Shakeel seen off by a devastating nip-backer.
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He was expensive in the second innings, going at more than six an over, until his and Archer’s bouncer theory proved incisive – until Razaullah arrived at the middle, that is – as Tongue got Babar to glove one behind.
England vs Pakistan – Test series results
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