England captain Joe Root steered his side home at Edgbaston, ending a turbulent Test summer by leading a 3-0 whitewash of Pakistan.
Set 130 to seal a clean sweep in the Rothesay Series, thanks to the batting heroics of debutant Razaullah, they were given a scare on the fourth morning when Mohammad Abbas removed both openers for nought in the first over.
It was the kind of challenge they needed after doling out thrashings at Headingley and Lord’s and Root came together with Jordan Cox to ensure they were not found wanting.
The pair shared an unbeaten stand of 128 to rack up a comfortable eight-wicket success, Root benefitting from a couple of reprieves to find form with 62 not out and Cox capping his positive start to life in the Test arena with an accomplished 59 not out.
That secured England’s best result since they beat the West Indies by the same scoreline in 2024 and gave Root a solid foundation to build his new captaincy reign on.
Sterner examinations await over the winter, in South Africa and Bangladesh before a one-off match in Melbourne, but after picking up the pieces following Ben Stokes’ chaotic retirement, Root can at least claim to have steadied the ship.
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