Birmingham: England had to endure a brief scare before beating Pakistan in the third and final Test here on Saturday to complete a 3-0 series whitewash. But captain and key batter Joe Root (62 not out, 69 balls, eight fours) made the result even more memorable by breaking two world records in successive matches.
Root had broken Steve Smith’s world record on Thursday for the most catches by a non-wicketkeeper in Test cricket. Smith had taken 219 catches, while Root moved to 220.
On Saturday, Root broke another world record, this time belonging to Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin had held the record for the most Test half-centuries with 68, but Root moved ahead by scoring his 69th half-century on Saturday. West Indies great Shivnarine Chanderpaul is third with 66 half-centuries, while Allan Border and Rahul Dravid have 63 each.
Two Wickets for Two Runs, England in Serious Trouble
Pakistan were bowled out for 449 in their second innings, leaving England with a target of 130 runs. England chased it down in 24.2 overs, losing two wickets.
Root and Jordan Cox (59 not out, 76 balls, eight fours) then put together an unbeaten 128-run partnership. Right-arm fast bowler Mohammad Abbas created a sensation in the very first over by dismissing both England openers for ducks.
He had Ben Duckett (0) caught by wicketkeeper Ghazi Ghori off the first ball and dismissed Emilio Gay (0) lbw off the sixth ball. However, Root and Cox stopped the collapse and took England from 2/2 to 2/130 to seal the victory.
The win completed England’s 3-0 clean sweep. England had scored 453 in their first innings and secured a 320-run lead.
England Repeat 3-0 Birmingham Feat
England have now won a three-Test series 3-0 for the second time in two years. In 2024, England had also defeated the West Indies 3-0 in Birmingham.
Pakistan’s No. 9 Hits Nine Sixes
The Pakistan Cricket Board had dropped seven players from the Test squad last week and brought in several new faces for the final Test. Right-hand batter Razaullah Khan was one of them.
Making his Test debut, he scored 81 off 63 balls on Friday, smashing nine sixes. Shad Masood’s 95, Razaullah’s 81 and Mohammad Abbas’s 42 helped Pakistan set England a target of 130.
Gus Atkinson was England’s leading wicket-taker with three wickets, while Ollie Robinson, Josh Tongue and Dan Lawrence claimed two wickets apiece.
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