England completed their first home Test series whitewash of Pakistan with an eight-wicket victory at Edgbaston on Saturday, but not before a dramatic start to day four that briefly threatened to derail their clean sweep.
Chasing 130 for victory, England lost both openers for nought in the first over from Mohammad Abbas. Ben Duckett edged the first ball to slip, while Emilio Gay was trapped lbw to complete a stunning opening over that gave Pakistan hope of an unlikely escape.
"The thought of England losing the Test match would have been unthinkable when Ollie Robinson reduced the visitors to 0-2 on the second evening," but the early collapse made defeat "look a genuine possibility," according to Sky Sports.
Captain Joe Root and Jordan Cox steadied the ship with an unbeaten partnership of 128 runs. Root, who was bowled off a no-ball during his innings, finished 62 not out while Cox impressed with 59 not out to cap a promising start to his Test career.
The victory sealed a 3-0 series triumph for England, completing what Sky Sports described as their "first home series whitewash of Pakistan." The win came after Pakistan had posted 449 in their second innings, with 21-year-old debutant Razaullah smashing 81 off 63 balls on the third evening to set England their target.
Root's performance was particularly significant as he guided his team through the early crisis. "At the start of the game if you'd have looked at that pitch and were chasing 130 to win you'd have taken it," Root said at the presentation ceremony. "For us to get clinical at the back end with partnership is exactly the sort of thing we are after off the back of two other brilliant performances."
The captain praised his team's resilience after the early setback: "We've had things go our way in the series and we had a little bit of pushback yesterday which in a strange way was a good thing for the group, but for us to come through it and be so convincing in the way is really pleasing."
Cox's innings of 59 not out marked another strong performance from the young wicket-keeper batsman, who has made an impressive start to his Test career. The partnership between Root and Cox demonstrated the depth England have developed in their batting lineup.
Abbas finished with figures of 2-27, providing Pakistan with their best bowling performance of the match, but it wasn't enough to prevent England from reaching their target in just 24.2 overs.
The series sweep caps what Root described as an eventful Test summer for England. "Off the back of this series there's a lot of information to work with," he noted, looking ahead to future challenges.
England's dominance throughout the series was evident in their comprehensive victories at Headingley and Lord's before completing the whitewash at Edgbaston. The team's ability to recover from early adversity in the final Test will give them confidence as they prepare for upcoming tours.
For Pakistan, the series represented a disappointing end to their tour of England, despite some individual bright spots like Razaullah's explosive debut innings. The visitors will need to regroup quickly as they look to bounce back from this comprehensive defeat.
