England vs Pakistan 3rd Test: A Dead Rubber with a New Look
Edgbaston hosts a dead rubber in name only. The series is gone, England are 2–0 up and cruising, yet Pakistan arrive in Birmingham looking almost unrecognisable, a Test side stripped back to the studs and rebuilt in a fortnight.
England steady the ship, Carse dropped after nightclub incident
Joe Root’s team have the luxury of refinement. An innings-and-103-run hammering at Headingley followed by a 194-run win at Lord’s has already banked the series. The third Test is a chance to manage bodies, test depth and still keep a ruthless edge.
One change, though, is unavoidable. Brydon Carse has been left out after the incident outside a Derby nightclub during the second Test, his name quietly removed from the squad sheet. His absence opens a slot in a pace attack that has bullied Pakistan in English conditions.
Ollie Robinson is untouchable on current form. His match figures of 8 for 80 at Lord’s pushed him past Jasprit Bumrah for the best Test bowling average of any bowler with at least 20 Tests since the First World War. That’s not just a hot streak; that’s historic.
Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson complete a seam trio that has offered Pakistan’s batters no let-up. Shoaib Bashir’s off-spin gives Root control and variation, while the batting core remains intact around England’s captain.
England’s likely XI
- Ben Duckett
- Emilio Gay
- Jordan Cox
- Joe Root (c)
- Harry Brook
- Dan Lawrence
- Jamie Smith (wk)
- Gus Atkinson
- Ollie Robinson
- Jofra Archer
- Shoaib Bashir
It’s not an experimental side as much as a continuation of a theme: high pace, relentless seam, a settled middle order and just enough new blood to keep things fresh.
Pakistan rip it up: seven players out, new brains trust in
Across the corridor, the mood is very different. Pakistan have treated this dead rubber as a detonator.
Seven players have been released from the squad: Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad are all gone. Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul have also been removed mid-series.
Into the vacuum steps Mike Hesson, taking interim charge of the Test side with former Australia seamer Ashley Noffke alongside him. Hesson has been blunt about what he wants.
“Pakistan is known for the pace, unusual actions, and mystery spin; we haven't really been able to present any of that,” he said. For him, this isn’t about a one-off rescue job. “From my perspective, it is about putting a balanced squad together, not only for this Test, so we actually have some variety in our attack.”
The message is clear: identity first, results later.
Babar back on the bridge, kids at the wheel
Babar Azam returns to lead a side that barely resembles the one beaten at Lord’s. He is set to open the batting, fronting up alongside a completely reshuffled top order.
Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal are the recognised top-order options with eight and two Test caps respectively between them. Around them, Pakistan have flooded the wider squad with youth: five uncapped players, all jostling for a first taste of Test cricket.
Two of them stand out. Wicketkeeper-batter Saad Baig, Player of the Tournament in the 2025–26 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, has forced his way into the conversation through sheer weight of domestic runs. Arafat Minhas, a left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder, offers exactly the kind of variety Hesson has demanded in public.
Left-arm seamer Ubaid Shah and off-spinner Sajid Khan deepen that mix, giving Pakistan angles, spin types and change-ups they simply didn’t show in the first two Tests.
Pakistan’s likely XI
- Azan Awais
- Abdullah Shafique
- Saim Ayub
- Babar Azam (c)
- Saud Shakeel
- Saad Baig (wk)
- Mohammad Imran Randhawa
- Arafat Minhas
- Mohammad Ali
- Mohammad Abbas
- Ubaid Shah
Look at that list and you see what this really is: a live audition. Edgbaston as a trial ground, not just a Test venue.
Right time for youth – wrong habit of chaos
On paper, this is exactly when you blood kids. The series is gone, the pressure is lighter, and Pakistan have little realistic chance of turning over a rampant England in their own conditions. If you want to know what Saad Baig or Arafat Minhas can do at this level, this is the moment.
Hesson’s call for balance and variety also hits the mark. Pakistan’s attack has lacked the old hallmarks: searing pace, awkward actions, mystery spin. This squad at least nods back towards that tradition.
The worry sits elsewhere. Seven players axed in one announcement. Two coaches removed mid-series. A captaincy carousel that saw Salman Ali Agha lead in one Test and then disappear from the squad entirely in the next. That isn’t long-term planning; it looks like a board flinching at every headline.
Edgbaston might give Pakistan a glimpse of their future. The question is whether this XI becomes the start of a coherent era or just another snapshot in a cycle of endless reshuffles.
