BIRMINGHAM, England : Joe Root guided England to a 3-0 series whitewash over Pakistan with an unbeaten 62 as the hosts overcame early nerves to win the third test by eight wickets at Edgbaston on Saturday.
England, chasing 130 for victory, lost Ben Duckett to the first ball and Emilio Gay later in the same over from Mohammad Abbas.
But Root, who survived a scare when he was bowled by Mohammad Ali for 23 off a no-ball, drew on his experience to steer England home. It was Ali’s 17th no-ball of the series.
Pakistan’s last chance came when Root, on 38, edged Abbas between first and second slip, but the two fielders left the catch for each other.
Root’s unbeaten 62 marked his 110th test innings of 50 or more, including 41 centuries. Jordan Cox provided excellent support with an unbeaten 59 as England reached their target in 25 overs.
“Fair play to Pakistan, they threw some punches last night. They made it very difficult for us and in some ways it’s a good thing to go through that,” Root said.
“Test cricket is not always going to go your own way but to see us actually be quite clinical with the bat off the back of that was good too. So in many ways we’re better for it.
“Of course there’s things we will want to improve on but we came into this series with a lot of question marks and a lot of noise around the team and we’ve walked away 3-0 winners, so in that respect I’m quite pleased.”
Pakistan had conceded a first-innings deficit of 320 but showed considerable fight to take the match into a fourth day, led by debutant Razaullah’s blistering 81 from 63 balls on Friday.
Had Pakistan produced that fight in the opening two tests, the series could have been far more competitive. Instead, England’s dominance produced a one-sided contest as they bounced back from their New Zealand defeat following the Ashes loss.
The victory also capped a successful return to the captaincy for Root following Ben Stokes’ retirement from international cricket.
Interim red-ball coach Marcus Trescothick, appointed after Brendon McCullum’s sacking, will hand over a rejuvenated England side to Stephen Fleming for their three-test tour of South Africa in December and January.
South Africa will provide a sterner test, but England’s pace attack will offer plenty of threat if Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson remain fit.
“We know there’s going to be tougher times ahead. We have some tough opposition coming up and we’re looking forward to the challenge,” said Robinson, England’s player of the series after taking 21 wickets.
England’s bowling attack, led by Robinson, proved too strong for Pakistan on helpful surfaces. Their batting was less convincing, however, with no player scoring a century.
Jacob Bethell is expected to return for the winter tour after knee surgery, meaning one of Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence or Cox could make way. Cox strengthened his case with his unbeaten second-innings 59 and also kept wicket after Jamie Smith suffered a finger injury.
For Pakistan, who have now lost 16 of their last 21 tests, the tour ended in further turmoil after the team replaced seven players following the second test and sacked coaches Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul.
The late fightback in Birmingham, however, offered some encouragement ahead of Pakistan’s next assignment against Sri Lanka in October.
“We had a couple of good moments. I think we have bowled well but I think the first innings cost us. Too many soft dismissals,” Pakistan captain Babar Azam said.
“I think this was a good opportunity for youngsters to play against quality bowlers, quality opponent, so they learned a lot and I think this is helpful for the future.”
