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England Sweep Pakistan 3-0 in Series Without a Single Century

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England beat Pakistan by eight wickets at Edgbaston to seal a 3-0 sweep, in only the eighth three-Test series with no individual hundred.

England beat Pakistan by eight wickets at Edgbaston to wrap up the third and final Test, sealing a 3-0 series victory. Joe Root steered the chase with an unbeaten 62 and Jordan Cox stayed not out on 59 as the hosts knocked off a target of 130 inside 25 overs, losing only two wickets along the way.

The win handed England their second 3-0 whitewash of Pakistan, following the same scoreline in the 2022/23 series, and their 15th sweep of a three-match Test rubber overall. For Pakistan it was an 11th series loss by a 3-0 margin.

What set this series apart was a curious absence. Not one batter on either side reached three figures across the three matches. That made it only the eighth three-Test series in the game's history to end without an individual hundred, and just the second staged in England, the previous instance dating back to the 1888 Ashes, some 138 years ago.

Root steadies a shaky chase

England's pursuit began badly. Ben Duckett was out to the very first delivery for a duck, and Emilio Gay fell later in the same over from Mohammad Abbas, leaving the score at 2 for 2. Pakistan sensed an opening.

Root refused to let it widen. He rode his luck early, bowled by Mohammad Ali for 23 only for the ball to be ruled a no-ball, Ali's 17th illegal delivery of the series. On 38, Root edged Abbas into the gap between first and second slip, but neither fielder moved and the chance went down.

Those reprieves proved costly for the tourists. Root ticked past his 110th score of fifty or more in Tests, a tally that includes 41 centuries, and calmly guided England home alongside Cox, who provided assured support as the two batters took the game away from Pakistan.

Robinson and the pace attack decide it

Pakistan had fought back in the final Test after slipping 320 runs behind on first innings, but England's grip from the opening two matches meant the destination of the series was already settled. A sharper Pakistan earlier in the tour might have made for a tighter contest.

The gap between the sides was written in the seam bowling. Ollie Robinson spearheaded the attack and closed the series with 21 wickets. Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson chipped in as England's quicks exploited conditions that suited them. The batting was the weaker department, with no England player passing a hundred in the three matches.

Razaullah lights up Edgbaston

Pakistan's brightest moment belonged to debutant Razaullah, whose fearless counter-attack briefly stirred the third Test to life. He struck 81 from 63 balls to give the visitors a flicker of hope, but the flurry arrived too late to alter the series result.

The defeat deepened a grim run for Pakistan, who have now lost 16 of their last 21 Tests. The tour triggered a shake-up: seven players were dropped from the squad after the second match, and coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and assistant Umar Gul were also let go.

For England, the result marked a firm recovery after a difficult stretch that included setbacks against New Zealand and an Ashes loss. It also gave Root a winning end to his stint back in charge, a role he took on after Ben Stokes retired from international cricket.

Interim red-ball head coach Marcus Trescothick, who stepped in following Brendon McCullum's exit, will now pass the reins to Stephen Fleming before England's three-Test tour of South Africa in December and January.

England Pakistan Test series, Edgbaston Test, Joe Root, Jordan Cox, 3-0 clean sweep, Ollie Robinson wickets, Test cricket no century, Razaullah debut

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