England close in on Pakistan whitewash in third Test as Robinson shines

England moved within sight of a series whitewash at Edgbaston after a decisive opening over from Ollie Robinson left Pakistan reeling early on day two. Robinson removed Saim Ayub with the first ball of the innings and claimed Abdullah Shafique three deliveries later, finishing the shortened day with figures of 2-10 from six overs as rain halted play with Pakistan 52-2. Robinson, 32, has been a consistent match-winner across the series, having already earned man-of-the-match honours in the first two Tests. Pakistan’s batting coach Mike Smith acknowledged Robinson’s relentless accuracy and form as a major challenge for his side, and Pakistan were unable to establish a foothold before the weather intervened. England had earlier built a commanding first-innings total of 453 to extend their overnight lead to 320. Harry Brook and Dan Lawrence added 86 for the fifth wicket, with Brook run out by Shan Masood for 75 off 97 balls after attempting an unlikely single. Lawrence made 65 from 82 deliveries before dragging a wide ball onto his stumps to hand Mohammad Imran his first Test wicket; it was Lawrence’s third successive Test half-century since being recalled. There were other positives for England: Jamie Smith made 69 off 84 despite a finger issue that forced him to hand the wicketkeeping duties to Jordan Cox, and Robinson contributed a fighting half-century of his own, including a big six off Mohammad Abbas. For Pakistan, the young paceman Razaullah showed pace and aggression but was expensive, conceding 148 from 23 overs; he had only eight first-class appearances before his call-up. With Pakistan having lost 15 of their last 20 Tests, their prospects in this match appeared bleak as they chased a large deficit in difficult conditions.