Photo Credit: Twitter Profile Photo of @NasserHussain13
Pakistan has not won a home Test match since 2022, with their latest innings-and-47-run embarrassment in Multan marking a seventh defeat in a winless run of 11 matches. The hosts had appeared to be in a strong position after scoring 556 in their first innings against England, only to collapse with both bat and ball on day four, allowing the visitors to secure a resounding win on Friday.
Pakistan’s struggles have not only been limited to the field; their management has undergone numerous changes over this period. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has seen three different chairmen, two Test captains, and six head coaches, both permanent and interim.
In white-ball cricket as well, Pakistan were knocked out during the group stages of both the 50-over World Cup last year and the T20 World Cup this summer, suffering a shocking defeat to the USA, an associate nation.
Assessing the team’s struggles, Nasser Hussain commented: “I think it’s a little bit with justification [the criticism]. Simply because, historically, Pakistan are a mercurial side. They go up and down, win games, lose games, they’ll be out of World Cups and then suddenly in a World Cup final. But actually, of late with Pakistan cricket—the two most recent World Cups and now six Tests in a row—they’ve lost.
It’s all down, and it all has a Groundhog Day feel to it. They do OK in the first innings, and then second time round, the openers and the top order fail, leaving the middle order to try and dig them out of a hole, like what happened late last night and into today [in Multan].”
Just hours after the conclusion of the first Test, the PCB announced a restructuring of its selection committee, which included the addition of former international umpire Aleem Dar. Ex-Test fast bowler Aqib Javed, former Test captain Azhar Ali, and analyst Hasan Cheema were also included in the committee, with voting rights.
The selection committee already comprises Pakistan captain Shan Masood and head coach Jason Gillespie.
The immediate responsibility of the committee is to finalize the squad for the second Test against England. The PCB stated in a press release that the committee held its first meeting in Lahore on Friday and would meet with the captain and coach in Multan on Saturday before naming the squad for the second Test.
Additionally, there are four non-voting members on the selection panel, including assistant coach Azhar Mahmood and Bilal Afzal, an adviser to the PCB chairman. Dar had stepped down from the ICC’s elite umpire panel last year but has continued to officiate in domestic matches, including international games at home.
Last month, Dar announced that he plans to retire from umpiring at the end of the 2025 domestic season.
After his team became the first in Test history to lose by an innings after scoring 500 or more in their first innings, Pakistan captain Masood expressed his disappointment: “Where I’d like the team to improve is, no matter what the pitch is like, we must find a way out. England showed us the way in this Test, you have to give huge credit to them. We’re hurt by the result, hurt as a nation, but the beauty of the game is it always gives you another chance.
The quick turnaround [to the second Test, starting Tuesday] might be beneficial to us, and we’re looking forward to it. I never try to shy away from responsibility. What hurts is that we’re not getting the results that Pakistan cricket deserves. We are all trying hard, we’re going to give it our all and try to turn this around.”
Hussain added: “I don’t blame Shan Masood. You have to look at what goes on behind the scenes in Pakistan cricket. Name me one sporting environment, team, or a business that does well with constant change behind the scenes—constant changes in chairman of selectors, chief executives, captains, coaches. If there’s constant changes, there’s constant messages that are coming in that are different, and that consistency that was always lacking in Pakistan cricket goes even more out of the window.
They have structural issues in their cricket, and that’s the world game’s fault as well. It’s not their fault. We talk about the big three [Australia, England, and India] and the finances they get, with other sides falling behind. Pakistan is one of those sides that’s falling behind.”
One of the major concerns for Pakistan heading into the second Test is the form of star batter Babar Azam. The 29-year-old, who had previously been the Test captain, managed scores of just 30 and 5 in the first Test.
He has now gone nine Tests without scoring a half-century on what are generally considered extremely batting-friendly, flat pitches. Pakistan’s top seam bowlers, Shaheen Afridi (1-120) and Naseem Shah (2-157), also performed below expectations, while frontline spinner Abrar Ahmed (0-174) was wicketless in his 35 overs before leaving the game due to illness.
“They do have problems,” Hussain stated.
“Their best player—a world-class player—Babar Azam is horrendously out of form. It’s nine Test matches without a half century—on these pitches! Maybe that’s psychological, with everything that he’s been through, giving up the white-ball captaincy?
In this part of the world, if you are Babar Azam and you go two games without a half-century or a hundred, the pressure builds, let alone eight, nine Test matches. The pressure is on him, definitely.”
Hussain also questioned the effectiveness of Pakistan’s spin attack: “Spin hasn’t seemed to be much of a threat. Where are they with their spinners?
Historically, we would have played against Abdul Qadir, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed. They’ve always produced great mystery spinners. And express pace: you wouldn’t say any of their three seamers that they are playing at the moment are express pace.
That’s a dangerous combination. You have a top order that’s failing in the second innings, and you’re not sure what pitch to prepare that suits your bowling attack.”
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Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
