Hosts England will aim to complete a series whitewash when they face off against struggling Pakistan in the third and final Test match at Edgbaston in Birmingham from Wednesday, September 9th 2026. After a 9-day break, the teams return for the final act of the series, with the rubber already decided with England leading the series 2-0 after comprehensive displays to outplay listless Pakistan at Leeds and at Lord’s, London.
But we have had loads of news from the Pakistan camp during this more than one-week gap, and it has made headlines all over the world. The first 7 players were sent packing, along with the head coach and bowling coach. Mike Hesson, the white-ball coach, has now been given the additional responsibility of coaching the side for this final Test match. There have been reports of mobile phones being confiscated from the players, and it is chaos for Pakistan in the lead-up to this Test match. England look a lot more settled and in-form and just have to guard against complacency.
Overview
The stage is set for the third and final Test of the series between England and Pakistan at Edgbaston in Birmingham. The series scoreline reads 2-0 in favour of the hosts, England, after they dominated Pakistan in the first two Test matches and did not even give them a sniff, winning inside 3 and 4 days respectively at Leeds and Lord’s despite weather and rain playing a factor in both the Test matches. But Pakistan has been in the news for all the off-the-field issues, and we will talk about all that soon, but on the field, they have been listless to say the least if we are being brutally honest.
After winning the first Test at Leeds inside 3 days, England were a confident unit arriving at Lord’s and played with an unchanged squad while Pakistan welcomed back their captain and talisman player Babar Azam from injury. It was Babar who won the toss and put England in and had the hosts in early trouble. But half-centuries from Jordan Cox and keeper batter Jamie Smith alongside handy contributions from down the order from Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue allowed England to post a competitive 290 despite a 4-wicket haul from Pakistan’s spearhead Mohammad Abbas.
But then the Pakistan batting floundered and were bowled out for 110, with only Azan Awais showing some resistance with his 46, but Ollie Robinson was too hot to handle with his 4-wicket haul and Jofra Archer picked up 3 wickets and Josh Tongue 2. With a first-innings lead of 180 runs, England came out to bat and, through a half-century from Daniel Lawrence and a few starts from Root and Brook, made sure they reached 208 despite a sensational 5-wicket haul from Mohammad Abbas and 9 in the match.
Tasked with a target of 389 runs, Pakistan showed some fight but were never in the game. Saud Shakeel counter-attacked his way to 97 while the others fell by the wayside as Robinson picked up another 4-wicket haul and 8 in the match, while Tongue and Archer picked up 3 and 2 wickets respectively as England won the contest by 194 runs inside 4 days, with Day 3 largely washed out as the series was sealed with a game to spare.
After the match, England named a largely unchanged squad with Brydon Carse still dropped, and Matthew Fisher removed, but the rest of them are the same. In this 8-9 day break, all the news came from Pakistan and their camp as PCB called back 7 of their players, which included Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan alongside Ali Usman, and Khurram Shahzad as well. Shan Masood has been recalled alongside 5 uncapped players. The drama did not stop right there.
Pakistan removed their Test head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul, although they are travelling with the squad. White-ball coach Mike Hesson has been called in to coach the side for the Third Test match alongside Ashley Nofke. There are reports that a few Pakistani players’ mobile phones have been confiscated by the PCB. It is chaos and turmoil in Pakistan cricket for sure. Can they overcome this and upset England? Only time will tell.
We are in for a roller coaster of a ride as the third and final Test of the series and summer beckons us in England from Wednesday, 9th September, 2026.
Head-To-Head
England and Pakistan have played against each other in 94 matches, of which England have won 32 of them while Pakistan have won 23 of them. 39 matches have ended in a Draw. In the last 10 fixtures, it’s 8-2 in England’s favour. In this series, it’s been all England as they lead the series 2-0 with one to spare.
Pitch & Weather Report
The pitch at Edgbaston, Birmingham, is expected to be a normal pitch with a good surface. The track offers good pace and bounce for the fast bowlers early on, while assisting the spinners often as the match progresses into the final days of the Test match.
As far as the weather forecast goes, we expect fine and clear conditions that are currently predicted for the opening days of the Test match in Birmingham. Minimal weather disruption is anticipated, allowing for a full quota of overs unlike the rain-affected matches earlier in the tour.
Probable/Predicted Playing XIs of both sides
Here, we will try to predict the probable playing XIs of both sides.
England XI: Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jordan Cox, Joe Root (c), Harry Brook, Daniel Lawrence, Jamie Smith (wk), Ollie Robinson, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue.
Pakistan XI: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Saad Baig (wk), Sajid Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Imran, Ubaid Shah.
Key Players to watch out for in this clash
Joe Root: England’s captain and the best player of the current generation, Joe Root will be the key to success yet again and a player that will be watched by many people. By his standards, he has had a quiet series where he has fifties under his belt but no hundred yet. With Edgbaston set for a decent surface, we expect Root to come out all guns blazing and take Pakistan’s inexperienced bowling attack head-on.
Ollie Robinson: The chief destroyer from the bowling point of view is Ollie Robinson. Ollie Robinson has destroyed Pakistan so far in the series and has picked up a truckload of wickets, including 8 in the last game. He has got 2 Player of the Match awards in 2 Test matches against Pakistan. Robinson would like to carry on his red-hot form in this final Test match.
Babar Azam: Pakistan’s captain and talisman Babar Azam missed the first Test due to injury and failed with the bat in the Lord’s Test. With so much chaos and confusion around the team from off-the-field issues, Babar Azam will be expected to lead the side and do well for the side. He has to somehow let his bat do the talking and divert all the off-the-field issues to what may happen on the field. He is their best batter, and high time he leads from the front, as he has not had a Test hundred since January 2022.
Mohammad Abbas: The spearhead of the Pakistan bowling attack and the lone bright spot for the tourists at Lord’s was Mohammad Abbas. Abbas led the attack with tremendous courage and picked up a 5-wicket haul and 9 wickets in the match to shine through the match. Yes, his efforts were not enough, but all he has to do is carry on the positives and try to put the pressure on the English batters, who can be fragile if given the pressure.
Key Stats and Records to look out for in this clash
- England will aim for a clean sweep while Pakistan will look to avoid the whitewash.
- Ollie Robinson needs 1 wicket to get to 100 Test wickets.
- Babar Azam will be the key as he has a solid record in England.
Predicted/Possible Outcome of the Match
Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties, and anything can happen. So, it’s tough to predict a winner. But in this match and series, with so many things going on and with the form of the teams on the field, it will be safe to say England start this Test match as overwhelming favourites. Pakistan would require a herculean effort to steer away from off-the-field stuff and then put on a performance to upstage England. England has to have a really bad Test match to lose, in our opinion.
We will see how the Test match pans out, but at this stage, we are picking England to win the match and sweep the series 3-0.
Also Read:Â ENG vs PAK: Michael Hussey Rejects Batting Coach Role