England beat Pakistan 3-0 in the Test series [Source: AFP]
Joe Root's England wrapped up the English summer with an emphatic 3-0 series win over the touring Pakistan, following an 8-wicket win in Birmingham on Saturday morning. With this, they managed to put behind them the disappointment of the New Zealand series earlier in the summer.
On the other hand, Pakistan's host of changes ahead of the series did not work as planned. While they improved in some areas, the overall performance remained below par, especially in the first half of the match.
The whitewash means Pakistan have now lost four of the five matches since Babar Azam's return to Test captaincy. Additionally, their position in the World Test Championship has worsened, as the Asians remain at the bottom of the table.
Updated WTC Table After ENG vs PAK 3rd Test, 2026
Rank
Team
Matches
Points
PCT (%)
1
Australia
10
96
80.00
2
South Africa
4
36
75.00
3
New Zealand
6
52
72.22
4
Bangladesh
6
40
55.56
5
India
11
68
51.52
6
England
16
74
38.54
7
Sri Lanka
6
24
33.33
8
West Indies
12
30
20.83
9
Pakistan
9
16
14.81
(Last Updated on September 12, 2026)
Pakistan's World Test Championship struggles continue
Traditionally a cricketing powerhouse, Pakistan have failed to crack the new World Test Championship format since its introduction in 2019.
While the likes of India, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have already played a final, Pakistan have been nowhere near the touching distance of finishing top-2 in WTC yet. Having finished fifth in the first cycle (2019-21), their performances have only declined.
In the second cycle from 2021 to 2023, their arch-rivals India made it to the second consecutive final, while Pakistan finished 7th. It got even worse in the next cycle, where Shan Masood's team finished at the rock-bottom of the 2023-25 cycle, winning only 5 of their 14 Tests.
In the ongoing cycle, again they sit at the bottom of the table and what has been even more concerning for them is being outplayed by Bangladesh, both home and away over the two cycles. They have lost 0-2 against Bangladesh in back-to-back series, which has led to shake up in the leadership group as well.
As the England series ends 0-3 in the hosts' favours, it marks second clean-sweep against Pakistan in last three series. Their only Test win in 2026 has come against West Indies to tie their series earlier in the summer.
Can England and Pakistan still qualify for World Test Championship 2027 Final?
England are at the fag-end of their World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle after the end of the Pakistan series. The win at Edgbaston, Birmingham, has closed the gap between them and India on the points table.
However, England are still seated at number 6, with 38.54 per cent points, making it extremely difficult for them to reach their first final. They will face South Africa, away from home at the end of the year, and all three matches will be a virtual knockout for them, considering South Africa are in the top-2 of the table right now.
They will also need results including India, New Zealand and Australia to go their way, making their qualification chances extremely slim.
From Pakistan's perspective, winning two Tests against Sri Lanka in November and two Tests against New Zealand in 2027 will only be able to take their points percentage to 41.02, which would not be enough for them to get into top-2. As things stand, they are not officially out, but it is unlikely that Pakistan will reach the final of the WTC 2025-27.
![England beat Pakistan 3-0 in the Test series [Source: AFP]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1789214338854_EnglandCelebratevsPAK.jpg?type=hq)
England beat Pakistan 3-0 in the Test series [Source: AFP]
