England get off to a dreadful start on day four of the final Test as Mohammad Abbas removes Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay

England suffered a disastrous beginning to day four of the final Test at Edgbaston as veteran paceman Mohammad Abbas tore through the top order in a sensational opening over. Chasing a modest target of 130 runs to secure victory in the series finale, the hosts immediately found themselves reeling at two runs for the loss of two wickets. Ben Duckett was trapped lbw before Emilio Gay followed him back to the pavilion just moments later, stunned by the relentless accuracy and movement that has defined Abbas throughout his illustrious first-class career, leaving the capacity Birmingham crowd in absolute shock.

The dramatic double-strike instantly shifted the momentum of the contest, reviving hopes of an improbable away win in this high-stakes red-ball encounter. Abbas, whose classical seam bowling has troubled batsmen across county cricket and the international arena for years, utilized the overcast morning conditions perfectly to extract sharp lateral movement from the Edgbaston surface. England’s fragile batting lineup, which has occasionally struggled against disciplined bowling attacks on seaming pitches during this grueling summer campaign, suddenly faced immense pressure to rescue a run chase that initially appeared straightforward on paper.

As the morning session progresses, the onus falls heavily upon the remaining experienced batsmen in the dressing room to steady the innings and navigate the swinging ball. Failure to rebuild from this precarious position would hand the opposition a famous triumph and severely damage England's momentum heading into the winter break. With the pitch offering sustained assistance to the seamers and the scoreboard reading a precarious 2-2, every single delivery now carries immense significance in a tense fourth-innings battle that is rapidly becoming a classic Test match thriller.