Embattled Pakistan were shown no mercy as England’s seamers tore through the tourists’ flimsy batting in a one-sided opening session of the dead-rubber third Test at Edgbaston.
Pakistan are bidding to stave off embarrassment after reacting to going 2-0 down by banishing seven players and two coaches, but a new-look XI floundered amid a relentless onslaught from the hosts.
Josh Tongue collected three wickets after Ollie Robinson and Jofra Archer had taken two apiece for unchanged England as Pakistan lurched to lunch on 100 for seven, their confidence seemingly shot to pieces.
It was Robinson, averaging a staggering 7.18 following the first two matches, who predictably started the collapse, after Joe Root won the toss and elected to take advantage of the overhead cloud cover, with the floodlights on from the start.
Saim Ayub – one of four changes to Pakistan’s line-up from Lord’s alongside debutants Ghazi Ghori, Mohammad Imran and Razaullah – overturned one leg-before verdict but not a second.
Robinson’s unerring accuracy from round the wicket and a hint of inward movement left Ayub all at sea as the England seamer celebrated his 100th Test wicket at an average under 20.
Ben Duckett spilled a low chance off Azan Awais, who lasted just three more deliveries after getting in a tangle to Archer and lobbing a simple chance into the leg-side to Tongue.
Robinson found the outside edge of Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood bizarrely skewed Archer to young substitute fielder Theo Wylie and when captain Babar Azam had his off-stump knocked back by Tongue, all of Pakistan’s top-five were out for single figures.
Duckett dropped a second chance at first slip to reprieve Saud Shakeel, who backed up his 97 at Lord’s a fortnight ago by showing a measure of resistance, unfurling a couple of glorious drives through extra-cover.
However, Tongue thudded into Ghori’s back pad and the fast bowler speared a yorker through Imran, leaving Pakistan seven down 10 minutes before lunch.
Razaullah, though, dug in alongside Shakeel (37 not out) as Pakistan avoided the nadir of being bowled out before the lunch interval.
