Pakistan’s humiliating defeat to England in a historic Test match has left the cricket fraternity in shock. The Shan Masood-led side became the first team in Test history to lose by an innings after scoring more than 500 runs in the first innings. Pakistan posted 556 after electing to bat, but England responded with a mammoth 823/7, powered by a massive 454-run partnership between Joe Root and Harry Brook. Pakistan was then bowled out for just 220 in their second innings, losing the match by an innings and 47 runs.
Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar expressed his frustration over the state of Pakistan cricket, suggesting that the team’s performance has been on a decline for the past decade. He criticized the current squad, calling them “not good enough” to compete at the highest level. “Jo boyenge wo kaatenge (You will reap what you sow). Over the decades, I have seen the decline. The situation is disappointing. Losing is fine, but the game should be close. However, what we saw over the past two days, they completely gave up hope. This shows that we aren’t good enough,” Akhtar said during a live discussion on PTV Sports. He pointed out that not only did England pile up 800+ runs, but Bangladesh also defeated Pakistan recently, emphasizing the team’s struggles.
Akhtar went further, raising concerns about the possibility of Pakistan losing its Test status due to the poor performances. He called on Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi to take tough decisions to revamp Pakistan’s cricket structure. “Fans are saying that Pakistan should stop playing Test cricket. I saw some comments. ICC must be thinking, ‘Should we send teams to Pakistan and keep their Test status alive’. It’s just disheartening. This is going to hurt Pakistan cricket, fans, and the upcoming talents,” Akhtar added.
Reports of groupism within the Pakistan dressing room have also surfaced, with Akhtar blaming weak leadership for fostering internal divisions. He suggested that when management is afraid of the captain, problems like groupism will persist. “If your management and captain are weak, there will be groupism. If the captain is selfish, there will be groups. The same is the case if the coaches are afraid of the captain. The captain calls the shots when it comes to selection. This has been the culture since my playing days,” Akhtar explained.
The loss has sparked widespread criticism, and there are now calls for significant changes within the team and management to prevent further deterioration of Pakistan cricket.
