15 vs 3.33: How struggling England side swept Pakistan 3-0
Pakistan lost a wicket on the first ball of the series and, on the last ball, misfielded as England completed the whitewash. In between, there had been three Tests in which Pakistan rarely looked competitive, often looked unprepared and, by the end, barely resembled (literally) the team that had landed in England.
In the final Test match of a whitewash, England triumphantly secured a 3-0 series victory over Pakistan at Edgbaston. Joe Root was dismissed for 23 runs, costing England a potential 36 for three. The match ended with an eight-wicket win, signifying the completion of Pakistan's elimination from the Test Championship cycle. It was an unsettling series for Pakistan, as they struggled to compete and appeared unprepared throughout.
Seven players were dismissed from the Test squad, including head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and fast bowling coach Umar Gul, replaced by Pakistan's white-ball coaches Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke. This drastic change in the team structure reflected the overall instability in Pakistan cricket, which has seen three captains and six head coaches in the last three years.
Despite England's less than stellar performance, their average across the series was higher than Pakistan's top seven batters. The series also saw unusual circumstances, such as Pakistan's openers scoring a combined 3.33 runs, and Imam-ul-Haq's early injury which never allowed him to bat. This series marked the sixth whitewash in 12 series between the two countries in the last four years, illustrating a pattern of Pakistan's decline in their Test cricket.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 2 other outlets
- Pakistan’s England nightmare deepens: 11 WTC points docked, 50% match fee fine — here’s why sports.yahoo.com
- 15 vs 3.33: How struggling England side swept Pakistan 3-0 timesofindia.indiatimes.com
