In jettisoning seven players from their squad, parachuting seven more in, and then making four changes to their XI, Pakistan went into this third Test against England pretty much throwing mud at the wall in the hope that some of it might stick.

Some did, in fairness, with the newcomer Razaullah dismissing Joe Root after tea on the opening day with just his fourth delivery in Test cricket. Propelling the ball from a slingy, chest-on action that has a smidgeon of Waqar Younis in his pomp – and hitting 92mph on the speed gun – the 21-year-old’s ­figures of two for 42 offered a ­glimmer of cheer for Pakistan’s otherwise ­downbeat supporters.

Sadly their team’s broader slide continued and by stumps – even with just 73 overs bowled despite a mere five-minute rain break – England’s upper hand in a series they have already secured at 2-0 up remained. Having dismissed the tourists for 133 in just shy of 34 overs after winning a helpful toss, Root’s men closed on 156 for four and will go into day two leading by 23 runs.

Ollie Robinson passed 100 wickets in Test cricket, with the first of his three for 15 making him the first ­Englishman to do so with a sub-20 average since a young Ian Botham. Josh Tongue whistled up four more of his own, while Jofra Archer, who openly admitted he was not looking forward to this week because of Edgbaston’s penchant for a flat one, walked off happy with three.

Long term, however, England’s response with the bat was arguably the more significant half of the day. They got the better of the conditions, having rolled Pakistan under cloud cover and then enjoyed periods of sunshine thereafter. But for Emilio Gay, who made his third Test half-century with 60 from 114 balls, it may be the innings that books him a seat on the plane to South Africa this winter.

While Ben Duckett fell cheaply ­trying to land some early blows – and Jordan Cox succumbed to the charms of Mohammad Abbas lbw – Gay looked to play himself in and it was far from straightforward. The new ball zipped about, his running between the wickets produced the odd hairy moment, and he wore one eye-watering blow to his knee via an inside edge off the slippery Razaullah.

But by the time the Razaullah got another to cannon into the stumps half an hour before the close, Gay had good reason to appear so crestfallen, having gritted it out well while still unfurling nine silky-smooth fours. The left-hander’s stand of 105 with Harry Brook, who scrapped to 52 not out, was the kind of contribution that Root insists is worth more in a summer dominated by purveyors of wobble seam.

Brook and Gay came together at a troubling 39 for three after Root’s 10th lbw dismissal in 13 innings. England’s captain once again reviewed in hope rather than expectation before the big screen confirmed Razaullah’s ­dream-like start. For all that Pakistan’s mid-tour overhaul has been derided, this injection of slightly unorthodox raw pace does represent a return to their roots. Although as much as the youngster’s first outing was eye-catching, it could not mask what went before. And at times during Pakistan’s latest malfunction with the bat it was hard not to wince from the sidelines. Babar Azam’s side are yet to pass 200 in this series and only Saud Shakeel, following his 97 at Lord’s with a top score of 43 here, seems equipped to deal with the movement on offer.

England have been pretty ­relentless, it must be said, and in ­Robinson, who took just 10 balls to snare Saim Ayub lbw and hit three figures in his career wickets column, they have a master of these conditions. With Jamie Smith standing up to the stumps, Robinson’s accuracy and height have proved a nightmare. Just ask Abdullah Shafique, again unsure outside off stump before poking to gully.

At the other end was Archer, who with the ball perhaps stopping in the pitch a touch induced a couple of tame chips to mid-on that wiped out Azan Awais and Shan Masood. When Tongue then dovetailed the new-ball pair to knock Babar’s off peg with one that decked in, Pakistan, 48 for five, had become the only team in history to lose their top five for single-figure scores in the first innings of a Test.

England kept their celebrations largely in check, somewhat betraying the simplicity of it all, likewise an Edgbaston crowd that was worryingly thinner than previous years. Folks wanted to witness a contest but instead got a procession, with Tongue helping to tear through an inexperienced lower-middle order and bowling Saud with a beauty that nipped back. The nod from the left-hander spoke volumes.

Had Abbas and Mohammad Ali not chiselled out a 10th-wicket stand worth 26 runs – lasting 46 balls, it was also the longest of the innings – Pakistan’s situation would have been utterly dire. As it was, they finished the day with their heads still just about above water and quietly chuffed about the start made by Razaullah. As Gay and Brook will testify, the runs did not come as easily as the wickets.