ENG vs PAK, 3rd Test: Pakistan’s national cricket team suffered an unprecedented top-order collapse on the opening day of the third Test against the England national cricket team at Edgbaston in Birmingham, entering the record books for all the wrong reasons. The visiting team faced immediate turmoil after losing the toss and being asked to bat first in helpful seam conditions.
Within the opening 15 overs of the match, the entire top five specialist batting lineup was bundled ousingle-digit digit scores, marking the first time in Test cricket history that a visiting team experienced such a disastrous start in the first innings on English soil.
Josh Tongue and Ollie Robinson wreaked havoc with disciplined lines, reducing the visitors to 48 for 5 and exposing deep technical vulnerabilities at the crease.
ENG vs PAK, 3rd Test: Unwanted Record Books and Single-Digit Dismissals
Opener Saim Ayub fell lbw to Ollie Robinson for zero, setting off a dramatic procession back to the pavilion. Fellow opener Azan Awais managed nine runs before edging behind, while Abdullah Shafique contributed only three runs.
Captain Shan Masood chipped a catch for five, and seasoned stalwart Babar Azam was bowled by Josh Tongue for seven runs off 18 balls.
This sequence meant all five frontline batters failed to reach double figures, creating a dubious milestone that no other visiting nation had recorded in the long history of Test matches played in England.
The relentless pressure exerted by the English bowling attack left the dressing room in complete shock as wickets tumbled rapidly.
ENG vs PAK, 3rd Test: Middle Order Resistance And Innings Conclusion
Amid the ruins, middle-order batter Saud Shakeel fought back with a gritty knock of 43 runs, acting as the lone warrior against a hostile bowling attack.
Lower-order contributions from Razaullah and Mohammad Abbas helped push the total past the hundred mark before Pakistan were finally bowled out for 133 runs in 33.5 overs.
England capitalized fully on the scoreboard pressure as the hosts took firm control of the contest heading into the later sessions.
