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

Demoralised tourists reach 52-2 before rain ends play early on day two, needing 268 runs to make England bat again.Published On 10 Sep 202610 Sep 2026Ollie Robinson continued his outstanding summer with two wickets in his opening over as England pushed Pakistan towards ⁠defeat in the third Test ⁠at Edgbaston.Robinson, man of the match in the first two Tests, struck with the first ball of Pakistan’s second innings on Thursday and again three deliveries later to leave England closing in on a 3-0 series ⁠whitewash.The demoralised tourists reached 52-2 before rain ended play early on day two, needing 268 runs to make England bat again.Robinson, 32, has been almost unplayable in this series, taking 21 wickets at an average of under seven runs each.He continued in the same ⁠vein in Birmingham, removing Saim Ayub, who was dismissed for a duck in both innings, and then Abdullah Shafique to finish the day with figures of 2-10 from his six overs.“He’s probably one of the most consistent bowlers in world cricket. He knows what he’s doing with the ball, and he wears you down a bit so it’s a challenge,” said Pakistan batting coach Mike Smith.“He has bowled exceptionally well, and he’s in a litt...