England vs Pakistan: Bowlers rout tourists before runs for Emilio Gay and Harry Brook

Third Rothesay Test, Edgbaston (day one of five)

Pakistan 133: Shakeel 43; Tongue 4-42, Robinson 3-15, Archer 3-25

England 156-4: Gay 60, Brook 52*

England are 23 runs ahead

Scorecard

England again demolished the dismal Pakistan batting to move on course for a 3-0 clean sweep on the opening day of the third Test at Edgbaston.

After ripping out the tourists for only 133, England already have a 23-run advantage on 156-4.

Following a week of turmoil in which Pakistan sent seven players home, called up seven more and changed their coach, the outcome was much the same as the first two Tests.

Though the dry pitch seemed good for batting, a moody morning sky convinced England captain Joe Root to field first and his new-look pace attack was outstanding once more.

Pakistan failed to reach 200 for the fifth consecutive innings, while none of the top five made double figures. Saud Shakeel at least managed 43 and the ineptitude of the top order was put into context by last-wicket pair Muhammad Abbas and Mohammad Ali adding 26 in 46 balls - the best partnership of the innings.

Josh Tongue bowled quickly for his 4-42, Ollie Robinson passed 100 Test wickets with his 3-15 and Jofra Archer claimed the remaining three scalps.

In truth, it was a disappointing and dispiriting spectacle, but Pakistan showed some fight with the ball, not least when rapid debutant Razaullah inflicted yet another lbw on Root to leave England 39-3.

Emilio Gay and Harry Brook steadied England, each making half-centuries in a stand of 104 that pushed the hosts into the lead.

Gay dragged on off Razaullah. His gritty 60 was impressive, if perhaps not enough to provide certainty around his place in a congested England batting line-up.

The pattern of this day was entirely predictable from the moment Root won the toss and there were times in the early going when the action was neither elite sport nor satisfying entertainment.

The conditions for a Test played in September were autumnal and one side of Edgbaston is a building site. Some 15,000 tickets were sold for today, yet the ground was not half-full when play began. The atmosphere was flat.

Pakistan made four changes from the second Test at Lord's, including three debutants. England, as expected, resisted tinkering with their attack and the hosts had the Pakistan innings wrapped up in 33.5 overs.

At least Pakistan landed some blows on the England top-order. Ben Duckett and Jordan Cox played loose shots - potentially costly for Cox as he looks to nail down his place - and Root was lbw for the 10th time in 13 innings in Razaullah's first over in Test cricket.

Gay and Brook restored order in the evening sunshine and it already seems certain England will win before the weekend. It could even be over inside two days.

Quite what Root's developing England team can take from this series is unclear. The disparity between the two sides in these conditions is simply too large.

Robinson began this summer in an exile from the England team that had lasted for more than two years. He ends it as the attack leader, with statistics that stack up alongside some of the all-time greats of the game.

He had already had one lbw decision against Saim Ayub overturned by the time he pinned the same batter again in his second over. It gave Robinson his 100th Test wicket at an average of 19.34 - the first England bowler since Ian Botham to reach 100 wickets at an average below 20.

Indeed, no bowler since World War II with at least 100 Test wickets has a better average than Robinson. His three on Wednesday gave him a total of 27 for the summer at a cost of 7.96 apiece.

Such was their dominance, England could afford Duckett to miss two tough chances at first slip. Root, often captaining from short leg, set fields that crowded the bat, often with seven catchers.

Tongue bowled with high pace and targeted the stumps – all four of his wickets were bowled or lbw. Archer benefitted from two miscues from mid-on, then came back to eventually end the Ali-Abbas last-wicket stand.

The curiosity is Gus Atkinson. He has not bowled badly, yet has somehow missed out on the riches of his fellow seamers. While the rest have cleaned up, Atkinson has just one wicket in the series at an average of 156.

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