As he watched the collapse take place, Nasser Hussain gave a harsh critique of Pakistan’s batting effort. The England pundit saw Pakistan’s batsmen fall one after another, unable to handle the pace and movement provided by the home bowlers on a ground that helped the seamers.
On Wednesday, September 9, 2026, the first day of the third Test at Edgbaston, Pakistan collapsed spectacularly. After England captain Joe Root won the toss and chose to play in cloudy conditions, the visiting team lost four wickets in nine overs. As England’s fast bowlers took advantage of the circumstances, Pakistan’s batting order quickly collapsed, reaching just 26 for four.
With two wickets apiece during the early assault, Ollie Robinson and Jofra Archer worked together to destroy Pakistan’s top order. In his first spell, Robinson scored twice: he removed Abdullah Shafique, who nicked to gully, after dismissing Saim Ayub for a duck lbw. Robinson took his 100th Test wicket when Ayub was dismissed. Josh Tongue bowled Babar Azam clean for seven, while Shan Masood holed out when trying to lift Archer.
Nasser Hussain evaluation of Pakistan’s batting failure
Pakistan’s problems persisted after the first meeting. On the first day of the third Test, the team finally collapsed to 133 all out, a total that demonstrated the depth of their batting collapse. Following a 194-run loss at Lord’s in the second Test, Pakistan was already behind 2-0 in the three-match series.
Significant changes to Pakistan’s team and coaching staff preceded the defeat in Edgbaston. Following the Lord’s loss, the squad altered their starting lineup four times. More dramatically, after the second Test defeat, Pakistan’s head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and assistant coach Umar Gul were fired. As part of a significant makeover, seven players were also excluded from the team.
