The final Test match of the 2026 English summer gets underway on Wednesday morning.
England host seemingly toothless Pakistan at Edgbaston in Birmingham, with Joe Root’s side already taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
It has been chaos in the visiting side’s camp since their heavy defeat at Lord’s, including the departure and replacement of seven players in the squad.
Will the PCB’s wild actions result in a better performance this week? Or can England continue their almost unwavering level of dominance in home conditions?
The answers await us at Edgbaston, but first up here is our full sports betting preview, complete with the latest cricket odds from the NetBet Sport platform.
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Where can I watch England vs Pakistan in the UK?
England vs Pakistan will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Cricket, with play scheduled to begin at 11am UK time on each day.
England vs Pakistan Preview
What happened in the Second Test?
On a tricky Lord’s surface, England put on 290 in their first innings, and then proceeded to bowl Pakistan out for a lowly 110.
A quickfire 208 in the Three Lions’ second innings put the game beyond doubt, and despite a spirited 97 from Saud Shakeel, Pakistan fell for 194 – and lost by a whopping 194 runs.
Team news
England’s squad for the Third Test remains much the same, and it would be a surprise if any changes were made to the XI.
But from a Pakistan perspective, it is hard to know who will line up alongside captain Babar Azam at Edgbaston.
Mohammed Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Imam-ul-Haq, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shazad were all sent home by the PCB, while their head coach and bowling coach – Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul – were also dismissed, replaced by Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke from the white-ball setup.
In terms of player replacements, only Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal have any experience at Test level. The called-up quintet of Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jr, Saad Bag, Mohammad Imran Randhawa and Razaullah are all uncapped.
Good luck with the toss, Babar…
England vs Pakistan Odds
*All odds are subject to change
England are massive favourites to claim the victory here, priced as low as 1.23 in the Match Result market. A Pakistan win is at long odds of 6.00, while the draw is 8.10.
England vs Pakistan Betting Tips
England first innings top batter – Jordan Cox @ 6.00
Cox has looked very assured batting at No3 in this series, albeit against some pretty poor bowling at times. Drafted in as the replacement for the injured Jacob Bethell, he has done his chances of going to South Africa in the winter no harm whatsoever. Cox followed up a well-made 73 at Headingley with a first-innings 55 at Lord’s – and this time we are backing him to be England’s leading scorer on first attempt, having finished second to Harry Brook and Jamie Smith in that regard previously.
Pakistan first innings top batter – Saud Shakeel @ 6.00
Shakeel has looked like the only Pakistan batter capable of playing in English conditions. His superb 97 at Lord’s was worthy of a century, but he can still hold his head high – which cannot be said for many others in the squad. Shakeel averages a solid 42.34 with the willow after 24 Tests, so when it comes to backing a Pakistan batsman to deliver something positive at Edgbaston, it is therefore incredibly hard to look past him.
England first innings top bowler – Ollie Robinson @ 3.00
What a summer it has been for the returning Robinson. Amazingly, the seamer has taken 23 wickets at a quite astounding average of 8.34, numbers which almost beggar belief. Robinson’s Test career average now reads 99 wickets at 19.53, placing him among the best in the history of the game. He really is in the form of his life, and no doubt the tall man from Margate will have Pakistan’s top order trudging back to the Edgbaston pavilion.
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