England vs Pakistan Test: Key Performances and Insights

Under grey skies and on a pitch that never quite settled, this final Test of the summer turned into an examination of temperament as much as talent. Some enhanced their winter prospects. Others walked off with more questions than answers trailing behind them.

England: Places Won, Places Lost

Emilio Gay – 6 (Series: 6) This was a match that almost booked his winter ticket, then yanked it back. Gay’s first-innings 60 was tough, tidy and timely – his best in Tests, carved out in awkward conditions that had most groping for rhythm. It looked like the sort of innings selectors remember in October. The second innings duck, though, re-opened the debate. One step forward, one shuffle back.
Ben Duckett – 2 (Series: 2) A grim finish to his summer. Scores of 11 and 0 here leave him with 44 runs at 8.8 across the series. The numbers are stark and they won’t be ignored. For a player whose game is built on tempo and positivity, he leaves this campaign short on both and firmly under the microscope.
Jordan Cox – 7 (Series: 7) A cheap first-innings dismissal hinted at a missed chance, but Cox made sure his second opportunity counted. His unbeaten 59 in the chase steadied England just as nerves began to prickle, killing Pakistan’s momentum with calm, uncluttered batting. With the gloves, he was even more impressive: five dismissals after being thrust into the role when Jamie Smith’s finger gave way. That kind of versatility tends to linger in the minds of selectors.
Joe Root – 7 (Series: 7) Questions circled his captaincy during Pakistan’s second innings, when fields and plans didn’t always convince. With the bat, though, Root did what Root does: 62 not out to drag England over the line. Yet one stat refuses to go away – 10 lbw dismissals in his last 14 innings. For England’s all-time leading run-scorer, there is clearly a technical kink still begging for a winter’s work.
Harry Brook – 7 (Series: 8) This was Brook at his most grown-up. On day one, with Pakistan sensing an opening, he dialled down the swagger and turned up the discipline. His 75 was his most mature Test innings of the year, built on patience rather than fireworks. The run-out, with a century within reach, was clumsy, but the application before that was exactly what England wanted. He ends the series as leading run-scorer with 215 at 53.75 – a statement return.
Dan Lawrence – 7 (Series: 7) Shunted up and down the order, Lawrence might have sulked. Instead, he batted like a man determined to nail down a long-term role. His 65 was measured, confident, almost serene at times, hinting at a player ready for a sustained run in the middle order. His bowling barely featured, but a series average of 46.75 with the bat will do his winter touring chances no harm at all.
Jamie Smith – 6 (Series: 6) Not yet back to his most fluent self, but still productive. Another useful half-century means back-to-back fifties in consecutive Tests, a quiet but important contribution. Behind the stumps in Pakistan’s first innings he was solid enough, before a finger injury forced him off and opened the door for Cox to shine. A decent game, disrupted by misfortune.
Gus Atkinson – 6 (Series: 5) The first innings threatened to become another hard-luck story: wicketless, a touch weary, searching for rhythm. Then a switch to the City End changed his mood and his match. Three wickets later, he walked off with something to show for his efforts. Not a headline performance, but a reminder of what he can offer when things click.
Jofra Archer – 7 (Series: 8) The second innings cost him – runs flew, lines frayed at times – but the pace and hostility never dipped. Archer bowled with genuine menace throughout, and one brutal bouncer to remove Saud Shakeel underlined exactly what England have missed. They know it too. Keeping him fit and firing over the next 12 months feels as crucial as any selection call they will make.
Ollie Robinson – 8 (Series: 9) With a Dukes ball in English conditions, who does it better right now? Robinson delivered another clinic in control and relentlessness, setting the tone yet again. He finishes the series with 21 wickets at an absurd 8.76, numbers that read like a throwback to another era. He even treated the crowd to a breezy half-century on day two. England’s attack increasingly feels built in his image.
Josh Tongue – 7 (Series: 8) Tongue’s job was clear: break open the lower order, and he did it with authority. Figures of 4-42 in the first innings capped another strong outing in a quietly excellent series. Nineteen wickets across three Tests mark him out as more than a supporting act. He looks, already, like a vital cog in England’s seam-bowling machine.

Pakistan: Flashes of Brilliance, Harsh Lessons

Azan Awais – 7 Still raw at this level, but there was steel in his second-innings response. At 0-2, Pakistan were tottering; Awais’ 59 from 84 balls was a defiant counterpunch, played with intent and courage. He is clearly a work in progress, but one worth investing in.
Saim Ayub – 1 Thrown in after sweeping changes to the side, Ayub looked miles short of red-ball readiness. No first-class cricket since last October, and it showed. A pair felt almost inevitable. He at least earns credit for leaving the CPL at a moment’s notice to answer the call, but this was a brutal reintroduction to the format.
Abdullah Shafique – 1 Two half-centuries earlier in the series showed his class, yet under heavy skies he became easy prey. Robinson toyed with him, dismissing him for three and nought. Against the Sussex seamer, Shafique looked strangely mortal, undone by movement he could neither judge nor counter.
Shan Masood – 8 First time around, he gave it away tamely. Second time, he dug in. Masood’s 95 in the second innings was composed, stubborn and stylish, the captain leading from the front as England’s bowlers probed. He fell short of a century, but not of influence. It was the innings that kept Pakistan’s faint hopes alive.
Babar Azam – 6 For a while, he reminded everyone why, on his day, he belongs among the game’s most watchable batters. His 76 oozed class, timing and control. The problem? It came too late in the match, and too late in the series. As a polarising captain back home, he will feel the heat despite that elegance with the bat.
Saud Shakeel – 6 He flirted with danger more than once, but still found a way to top-score in the first innings with 43. His 29 second time around ended in violent fashion, courtesy of Archer’s vicious bouncer. Across the series he was Pakistan’s leading run-scorer with 204 at 34.00 – solid, if not transformative.
Ghazi Ghori – 2 A debut to endure rather than enjoy. Scores of 4 and 16 with the bat offered little resistance. With the gloves, he struggled badly standing up to the stumps, leaking 18 byes. The conditions were unforgiving, but this was a harsh introduction to Test keeping.
Mohammad Imran – 6 While others hunted magic balls, Imran focused on control. He was Pakistan’s most economical bowler, reining in England’s scoring and offering his captain a measure of calm amid the storm. Not spectacular, but quietly effective.
Razaullah Khan – 9 A star turn, and maybe the start of something more. At 21, Razaullah brought genuine bite to the attack, evoking memories of a young Waqar Younis with his 4-148 in the first innings – raw, rapid, and always in the contest. Then came the innings that will live longest: 81 runs, nine sixes – a joint-best mark – and a swagger that lit up the match. With ball and bat, he left an indelible mark.
Mohammad Ali – 5 He chased wickets all game and frequently beat the bat, but the consistency and control needed at this level slipped away too often. The no-ball problem is more than a nuisance now; it cost him Root’s wicket in the second innings and with it a key moment. The tools are there, the polish is not.
Mohammad Abbas – 7 At 36, Abbas remains Pakistan’s metronome. He shouldered a heavy workload without complaint, nagging away on a tight line, asking questions over after over. With the bat, he chipped in with important lower-order runs that forced England to bat again. On day four, he had the ball talking, briefly turning this into a genuine scare for the hosts.

As the summer closes, England walk away with a clearer sense of who travels to South Africa and who stays home. Pakistan, meanwhile, have unearthed a livewire in Razaullah and glimpsed promise in Awais – but can they turn these flashes into a team capable of winning tough series away from home?