Pakistan Crumble for 133 as England Pacers Dominate Day One of Third Test

Pakistan’s ongoing cricket tour of England descended into further turmoil on Wednesday as the visiting side suffered another catastrophic batting collapse, getting dismissed for just 133 runs on the opening day of the third Test match at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

The batting capitulation saw Pakistan set an unwanted record in international cricket history. The tourists became the very first team to have their top five batters each dismissed for nine runs or fewer during the first innings of a Test match, highlighting the severe inability of the top order to cope with the English conditions.

Having already surrendered the series following back-to-back defeats, Pakistan were forced to take the crease first after England captain Joe Root won the toss on a heavily overcast morning. Root opted to bowl without hesitation, unleashing a relentless fast-bowling unit under skies tailor-made for seam and swing.

England’s pacers instantly exploited the favorable environment, tearing through the tourists' batting lineup with remarkable precision. Neither the experienced batters nor the new inclusions managed to withstand the early onslaught, with opening batter Shan Masood becoming an early casualty after departing for just five runs.

The procession of wickets continued unabated shortly thereafter when Mohammad Imran fell in identical fashion. Imran was dismissed for five runs as England’s seamers sent his bails flying, leaving the visitors reeling from the earliest stages of the morning session without establishing any stable partnerships.

The crisis deepened significantly in the 15th over when Pakistan captain Babar Azam was sent back to the pavilion. Babar’s exit left the visitors in utter disarray at 48-5, entirely exposing the middle order and confirming that none of the side’s top five batters had managed to cross into double figures.

Amid the wreckage, middle-order batter Saud Shakeel mounted the only sustained resistance of the innings. Shakeel played a disciplined and determined knock, working hard against the swinging ball to construct a team-high score of 43 runs in an attempt to salvage some respectability for the total.

Shakeel found sporadic support from the lower order as Pakistan fought to drag their score past the hundred-run threshold. One of the team’s debutant bowlers managed to endure the ferocious fast-bowling assault for 11 deliveries, providing brief stability during a tense period at the crease.

Mohammad Abbas, recognized primarily as Pakistan's standout bowler, provided an unexpected boost with the bat by scoring 21 runs from 36 deliveries. Abbas became one of only three Pakistan players to reach double figures in the entire innings before his dismissal brought a definitive close to the batting effort.

The entire Pakistani innings lasted just 33 overs and five balls, folding completely in under 34 overs. The rapid collapse meant that the visiting team had once again failed to provide their bowlers with a competitive first-innings cushion to defend.

England’s pace attack claimed all 10 wickets to fall, maintaining total supremacy throughout the session. Josh Tongue led the bowling effort with exceptional figures of 4-42, claiming crucial scalps along the way, including the vital wickets of Babar and top-scorer Shakeel.

Tongue was backed up by equally lethal spells from his fellow fast bowlers. Ollie Robinson, who was named player of the match during England’s victory in the first Test, picked up 3-15 with a remarkably tight spell, while Jofra Archer took 3-25 to ensure the Pakistan tail was quickly polished off.

The meek batting performance came despite comprehensive structural changes to the Pakistani lineup ahead of the match in Birmingham. Pakistan made four alterations to their team sheet, handing Test caps to three debutants in an urgent bid to revitalize their fortunes and stop the sequence of heavy defeats.

Those radical changes followed intense institutional fallout from the second Test at Lord's in London, where Pakistan were defeated by 194 runs. In the aftermath of that loss, team management took the extraordinary measure of sending seven players home while sacking head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and assistant coach Umar Gul.

The team’s difficulties on English soil have been mounting since the start of the tour earlier in August, when England cruised to an innings-and-103-run victory in the first Test at Headingley in Leeds. That lopsided defeat established England's commanding 2-0 lead in the series and triggered fierce public and media scrutiny regarding Pakistan's preparation and selection.

With Pakistan facing widespread criticism for both their tactical decisions off the pitch and their poor execution on it, the sweeping changes to the coaching staff and playing roster failed to alter the trajectory of the series, leaving England firmly in command once again at Edgbaston.