Josh Tongue bowls Babar Azam with a peach at Edgbaston

Josh Tongue delivered the kind of ball that can flip a Test innings in a single frame. Under overcast pressure at Edgbaston, the England pacer found the perfect seam movement, shattered Babar Azam’s defense and sent Pakistan deeper into trouble on Day 1 of the third Test.

Tongue’s delivery changes the tone

Babar walked in with Pakistan already under heavy pressure, but his stay was brief and brutal. He lasted 18 balls for seven runs before Tongue produced a fast, full-length delivery that nipped back off the seam at around 88 mph (141 kph) and kissed the top of off stump.

The ball was pitched on a perfect length and jagged in just enough to expose the gap between bat and pad. Babar’s bat came down at a wide angle, and the smallest error was enough for the ball to sneak through.

England shared the footage soon after, and the dismissal quickly became the defining moment of the morning session. For Pakistan, it was another reminder of how quickly England’s pace attack can turn a competitive start into a full-blown collapse.

Pakistan’s top order keeps folding

By the time Babar departed, Pakistan were 48/5 and in serious danger inside the first 15 overs. The collapse had started early and continued with little resistance, as England’s seamers struck repeatedly through the top order.

Azan Awais was caught off Jofra Archer, Abdullah Shafique fell to Ollie Robinson, and Shan Masood also departed early. The pattern was clear: England were hitting the right areas, Pakistan were not finding a way out.

Pakistan lost six wickets within 17 overs after being asked to bat first, a development that immediately handed England control of the Test. With Joe Root opting to bowl first after winning the toss, the visitors were forced into survival mode far earlier than they would have wanted.

Why Babar’s wicket matters

This was not just another dismissal. It came against a batter whose reputation is built on control, timing and composure under pressure. Instead, Babar was beaten for pace and seam movement, two of the most dangerous weapons in English conditions.

It also extended a worrying start to the series for the Pakistan captain. Across his first three innings, he has managed only 21 runs, with scores of eight, six and now seven. For a player of his stature, those numbers underline a difficult tour rather than a one-off failure.

“When the ball starts talking like that, even top players are forced into mistakes,” one observer noted after the wicket.

England’s pace battery keeps the pressure on

England entered the match already leading the three-match series 2-0, having wrapped up the second Test at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs inside three days. Tongue and Robinson had been central to that victory as well, each claiming eight wickets in the match.

At Edgbaston, England once again leaned on a relentless pace unit that included Jofra Archer, Ollie Robinson, Gus Atkinson and Tongue. The quartet offered pace, movement and persistent discipline, forcing Pakistan’s batters into uncomfortable decisions from the opening spell.

The result was a first session dominated by England’s new-ball threat and a scoreboard that kept tightening on Pakistan. Babar’s wicket was the sharpest blow, but it was part of a broader squeeze that left the visitors with very little room to breathe.

Series pressure and venue history add to Pakistan’s pain

Pakistan’s struggles at Edgbaston are not new. They have now played eight Tests at the ground without a win, losing five and drawing three, which only adds another layer of pressure when conditions turn against them early.

England, meanwhile, were chasing a different kind of milestone. They had not won three consecutive Tests since the summer of 2024, when they put together a five-match winning run against West Indies and Sri Lanka. With the series already sealed, this final home Test offered a chance to complete the job in style.

The selection backdrop also made Pakistan’s situation more intense. Seven players were left out after the first two Tests, while five debutants were included in the side. Ahead of the match, Babar said he had not been consulted about the changes, a detail that only added to the noise surrounding the tourists.

A familiar story in difficult English conditions

For Pakistan, the innings was less about one dismissal and more about a pattern of collapse under pressure. England found movement, rhythm and confidence early, and once Tongue broke through for Babar, the rest of the innings looked increasingly fragile.

That is the harsh reality of Test cricket in England: one small gap, one late seam movement, and momentum can vanish instantly. For Babar Azam, this was another tough chapter. For Josh Tongue, it was a reminder that a well-executed delivery can still look spectacular in the age of high-speed replays.