England have their first series victory since 2024, and they earned it in emphatic fashion at Lord's, dismantling Pakistan by 194 runs to go two-nil up. It was another performance built on seam bowling brilliance and a few individual batting contributions that papered over some persistent cracks. Here's my take on how every England player fared across the match.
The Standout Performers
Where do you start with Ollie Robinson? The man is having the summer of his career. Eight more wickets at Lord's means Robinson now has 23 scalps across three Tests since his recall, at a barely believable average of 8.34. That's not a hot streak — that's outright dominance, and England's selectors must be thanking their stars they brought him back. If you had Robinson in any anytime wicket-taker market this summer, you've been printing money. He gets a nine from me, and frankly it could have been higher.
Jofra Archer matched him for entertainment value, even if the wickets column didn't fully reflect his contribution in the first innings. His short delivery to dismiss Babar Azam on day four was genuinely special — a throwback to the fearsome Archer we saw on his Test debut at this very ground. Three wickets and a performance full of menace earns him an eight. Jamie Smith also picks up an eight from me. His 61 in the first innings, played in tricky conditions, was as well-constructed a keeper-batter knock as we've seen from him at this level. His glove work — particularly standing up to Robinson — continues to improve with every match. This was arguably his best Test display in over a year.
Solid Contributions in the Middle Order
Jordan Cox continues to make a quiet but convincing argument for his place in this side. A composed 55 in the first innings, made while wickets were tumbling around him, showed real temperament. He hasn't yet posted the kind of score that completely silences the selection debate — especially with Jacob Bethell waiting in the wings — but he earns a seven and the right to go again at Edgbaston. Dan Lawrence also gets a seven from me. After a first innings that included being run out for 17, he responded with 54 in the second dig — a knock that suggested he does have the tools to succeed at this level with the bat. Josh Tongue rounds out the sevens, chipping in with the crucial wickets of Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafique in the first innings, and even nudging his Test best score to 30 not out.
Questions Remain Up Top
Ben Duckett endured another forgettable match — just 18 runs across two innings. His second-innings dismissal, driving straight to mid-off, was the sort of shot that gives selectors sleepless nights. A four from me. Emilio Gay was desperately unlucky, falling victim once again to the notoriously difficult Lord's surface after getting to 31 in the second innings. The third Test at Edgbaston could define his summer — he gets a five. Joe Root's series continues to raise eyebrows; scores of four and 24 alongside seven lbw dismissals in nine Test innings this summer is a pattern the analysts will be pouring over. It's not a crisis yet, but it's creeping closer to one. Five from me.
Verdict
England head to Edgbaston two-nil up with genuine momentum and a pace attack that is the envy of world cricket right now. Robinson's outright series performance alone should see England's series clean-sweep odds shorten considerably. The batting remains inconsistent, but when the bowlers are performing like this, Ben Stokes' side is an extremely difficult proposition for any team. Pakistan will need something extraordinary to salvage their tour.
