BIRMINGHAM: England defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in the third and final Test at Edgbaston on Saturday to complete a 3-0 series whitewash, the first time Pakistan has been swept in a home Test series by England.
Chasing 130 runs for victory on the fourth day, England briefly faced a challenge after Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Abbas claimed two early wickets.
However, Jordan Cox scored an unbeaten 59 and captain Joe Root remained not out on 62 to guide England to victory.
England reached its target for the loss of two wickets, securing an eight-wicket win and completing a clean sweep of the three-match series.
The victory marked the first time England had whitewashed Pakistan in a Test series played on English soil.
Earlier, Pakistan fast bowler Razaullah marked his Test debut with a stunning batting display against England, helping his team avoid an innings defeat and matching several records with an explosive 81-run knock.
Razaullah came to the crease at No. 9 in Pakistan’s second innings and smashed 81 off 63 balls, including nine sixes, to help Pakistan set England a target of 130 runs.
His nine sixes equaled the world record for the most sixes by a batter on Test debut. Mohammad Abbas also contributed to the lower-order assault, scoring 42 runs with two sixes.
The 10 sixes hit collectively by Pakistan’s Nos. 9 to 11 batters were also a first in Test cricket, with fast bowlers accounting for all 10.
Razaullah reached his half-century off 43 balls, becoming the fastest Pakistani batter to score a fifty on Test debut. He surpassed the previous record held by Faheem Ashraf, who scored a 50 off 52 balls on his debut in 2018.
Razaullah also became the first Pakistani batter in the last 15 years to hit eight sixes against fast bowlers in a single Test innings.
He scored 11 runs in Pakistan’s first innings and followed it with 81 in the second, taking his match tally to 92 runs. That made him the highest-scoring Pakistani batter on Test debut against England.
Pakistan was bowled out for 449 in its second innings, setting England a target of 130 runs.
