England's Bowlers Lose Control Against Pakistan at Edgbaston

England’s bowlers did not just lose control at Edgbaston. They lost the plot.

On the flattest surface of the series, with Pakistan resuming on 117 for 2 and the game there to be shaped, England’s attack unravelled in a way that left some of the country’s most respected former players astonished – and, in Alastair Cook’s case, plainly furious.

By the time Pakistan were all out for 449, having set England 130 to win the third and final Test, the story of the day belonged not to Babar Azam or the top order, but to a 21‑year‑old debutant batting at No.9 and swinging as if in a backyard game.

Razaullah walked in, saw chaos, and cashed in.

Tailender turns tormentor

On debut. At No.9. Against a seasoned England attack. Razaullah smashed nine sixes – equalling an 18-year record – in a 63-ball 86 that turned a modest lead into a genuinely awkward target.

He did it with license and nerve, yes, but also with an invitation England kept sending him: wayward, unfocused bowling that rarely threatened his stumps. Across his entire innings, only six deliveries would have gone on to hit the timber. Six. On a day when the basics of Test cricket were crying out to be followed.

He threw his bat. England threw away the script.

Short balls flew harmlessly past his shoulders or into the stands. Width allowed him to free his arms. Lengths drifted into that no-man’s land where neither defence nor dismissal felt likely. The plan – if there was one – dissolved in real time.

Alongside him, Mohammad Abbas, more known for his bowling than his batting, played the perfect foil. He made 42, stayed calm, and together they put on 121 for the ninth wicket. For England, it was not just damaging. It was embarrassing.

Cook’s anger at “no plan”

Watching on, Cook could not hide his frustration.

“You can get done by the tail – it's very hard when people have the license and ability to hit sixes,” he told BBC Test Match Special. That acknowledgement came with a sting. “What I saw was no plan; it got out of control. That's when you need the backroom staff and coaches to step up. I would have loved to have seen a message and some real leadership from the coaches.”

This was not the irritation of a former captain nitpicking from the commentary box. It was a pointed critique of a team that, under pressure, seemed to abandon structure and discipline.

Joe Root, in charge on the field, looked bereft of answers as his quicks persisted with short-pitched salvos that neither hurried the batters nor cramped their scoring areas. On a pitch offering true bounce and value for shots, it was a strange hill to die on.

“Utterly bonkers”: Agnew’s verdict

Jonathan Agnew, never shy of calling out muddled thinking, went even harder at the tactics.

“You cannot and should not bowl like that to tailenders as soon as they come in,” he said. “You have to set the tone when you're bowling against tailenders. Yes, you bowl aggressively, but in a controlled way. They are numbers nine and 10 for a reason.”

The key word: control. England had none.

What really jarred for Agnew was the use of Dan Lawrence. A part-time off-spinner, Lawrence took the second new ball – a decision that, in any era of English seam bowling depth, would raise eyebrows.

“If you're looking for any aspect of the day that is utterly bonkers, that is it,” Agnew said. On a day littered with questionable calls, that one stood out.

Vaughan’s warning for an unfinished attack

Michael Vaughan, another former captain, sounded less surprised and more weary. To him, this was part of a pattern.

“We shouldn't be surprised by England; they've delivered tactically like this on a regular basis,” he said. “I think they'll win this game, but they can't keep making mistakes like that.”

That line cut to the heart of it. England may yet chase 130 and take the series, but the manner of this performance exposed old flaws: impatience, overcomplication, and a stubborn refusal to hammer away at the simplest method.

“The basics of Test cricket generally work, and that's to hit the top of the stumps,” Vaughan said. “It's a bit of a warning sign that this attack is very good, but they aren't the finished article just yet.”

He then asked the question that will linger longer than the result.

“Who are the characters in the team who are going to grab a hold of everyone and say, 'Right, I'm going to make a moment'. I didn't see it from anyone today.”

On a day when a debutant No.9 seized his moment with nine towering sixes, England’s bowlers and leaders left theirs drifting in the Edgbaston sky.