England seize control at Edgbaston

England strengthened their position in the third Test against Pakistan on Thursday, taking a huge 320-run first-innings lead after being bowled out for 453 at Edgbaston.

England, who lead the three-match series 2-0, resumed the second day on 156 for four after Pakistan had been dismissed for 133 in their first innings.

Harry Brook was the leading scorer for England with 75, while Jamie Smith made 69 and Dan Lawrence scored 65. Ollie Robinson also made a valuable 50, helping England build a commanding advantage.

Brook and Lawrence added 86 runs for the fifth wicket before Brook was dismissed in an unfortunate run-out.

Brook clipped the ball towards mid-wicket and called for a single. Saim Ayub collected Shan Masood's throw and broke the stumps with Brook short of his ground. Brook faced 97 balls and hit six fours.

Lawrence continued to attack before his innings ended on 65 from 82 balls. He chopped Mohammad Imran onto his stumps, giving the Pakistan bowler his first Test wicket.

Smith then played an attacking innings, scoring 69 from 84 balls. He struck nine fours and one six as England moved closer to 400.

Robinson provided another burst of aggression, reaching his half-century from 47 balls. His innings included seven fours and a six before he was caught by Pakistan captain Shan Masood off Razaullah.

Jofra Archer then added important runs at the end of the innings. He remained unbeaten on 32 from 27 balls, hitting one four and two sixes.

Josh Tongue scored 15 before Mohammad Ali took the final England wicket, ending the innings at 453 after 89 overs.

Razaullah was Pakistan's most successful bowler, taking four wickets for 148 runs from 23 overs. Mohammad Imran took two for 47, while Mohammad Ali finished with two for 92. Mohammad Abbas claimed one wicket.

England's first-innings total included 45 extras, with Pakistan conceding 18 byes, 12 leg-byes, 12 no-balls and three wides.

Pakistan's problems had started on the opening day when their batting collapsed for 133. Saud Shakeel was the top scorer with 43, but England's bowlers kept control throughout the innings.

Pakistan have now failed to score 200 in five consecutive innings in England, putting further pressure on a team already trailing heavily in the series.

England had also faced some early difficulties with the bat. Ben Duckett was dismissed for 11, Jordan Cox fell for four and captain Joe Root made only eight.

Emilio Gay steadied the innings with a patient 60 from 114 balls before he was dismissed by Razaullah at 143 for four.

Brook and Lawrence then changed the momentum with their fifth-wicket partnership, allowing England to take control.

Pakistan made several changes to their team for the third Test after losing the second match by 194 runs. The visitors were hoping the reshuffled side could produce a stronger performance, but their first innings again exposed serious batting weaknesses.

England now have a commanding advantage and will look to force another Pakistan collapse when the visitors begin their second innings.

Pakistan need a substantial batting response to stay alive in the match, while England are firmly positioned to push for victory and complete a 3-0 series whitewash.