The sight of Babar Azam’s surrender to Jofra Archer’s bouncer at Lord’s on Sunday must have hurt former cricketers who were a part of those Pakistan teams that used to be feared by the rest of the cricketing world.
But there’s much more to the story than the Test captain’s tame dismissal.
Precisely, Pakistan’s performance in international cricket has gradually worsened since their inability to reach the semi-finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup. In Test cricket, their situation has been exacerbated following 15 defeats in their last 20 games and 10 away losses out of 11 matches, which pushed them to the bottom of the World Test Championship rankings.
Immediate steps were taken on Monday as keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and opener Imam-ul Haq were released, with the likes of Agha Salman, Ali Usman and a few others, before the final Test in Birmingham beginning on September 9.
Rizwan’s poor batting form (41 runs in four innings) has made matters easier for England bowlers, while there are doubts over the genuineness of Imam’s injury, for which he didn’t bat in the second Test and could thus face strong disciplinary action.
Pakistan’s coaching staff, too, has undergone a shakeup. White-ball coach Mike Hesson, already in London, has replaced Sarfaraz Ahmed as the Test coach for the Birmingham clash. Bowling coach Umar Gul has also been released, with Ashley Noffke – bowling coach in the whiteball setup – joining Hesson in the Test coaching staff.
The five uncapped players who will join the squad ahead of the third game in Birmingham are Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran Randhawa and Razaullah, along with Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal, the left-handed opener who has played just two Tests – both against Bangladesh in May.
Former captain Asif Iqbal, who was at Lord’s during the second Test which Pakistan lost by 194 runs, however, feels the current side should be given a little more time instead of frequent chopping and changing.
“You need to acknowledge that England were the better side in all departments. But for Pakistan, these were the players chosen by the selectors and believed to be the best in the country at present. So, instead of changing the team every now and then, one should’ve had some faith in them and given them a little more time at least,” Iqbal, who played 58 Tests and 10 ODIs, told The Telegraph on Monday.
“Also, when you have reappointed Babar as captain, give him at least two to three series unless he comes to you and says that he feels someone else can do a better job,” Iqbal said.
Instead of putting the entire blame on the cricketers, the Mohsin Naqvi-led Pakistan Cricket Board too needs to be reprimanded, feels former keeper-batter Rashid Latif.
“Everyone is talking about how this Pakistan team is the worst touring team in the last 50 years. But nobody is speaking about how the current board is the worst in the last 70 years. Nobody is talking about the worst selection committee and coaches,” Latif said on .
“If you combine these issues, you will get the answer to your question. You will know who has ruined this team. Now you are losing consistently. This is the worst cricket board, and that’s a fact.”
Surprisingly, the PCB was apparently more worried with Imran Khan’s sons’ interview to – where they blasted the current Pakistan government for its alleged ill-treatment of the former captain and ex-Prime Minister, who has been imprisoned since August 2023 – which was aired during the Lord’s Test.
Unless people who matter in Pakistan cricket wake up, the sport could suffer the same fate as their hockey did, mainly because of administrative mismanagement and failure to modernise grassroots infrastructure. Till then, though, the onus is on the cricketers to give a little more on the field to make the opposition work hard for every run and wicket.