01 September,2026 08:04 AM IST | Mumbai | The Editorial
Pakistan’s overall cricket, especially their batting, has been poor. File pic
Pakistan's last 10 Test cricket series have resulted in them being victorious in only two. That's not a sequence they were known for and there was a reason for that. Not only did they possess quality batsmen and bowlers, but they also came together and fought as a team no matter how many power struggles they had within.
Yes, pundits say that Imran Khan was the only captain to weld them together, but that would be a touch unfair on their overall will to win battles. Probably, Imran's presence produced an additional layer or two of glue as it were.
On the one hand, two-Test series are cringed upon because two Tests cannot provide the true meaning of a rubber. But in the case of the Pakistan vs England series, the hosts have pocketed the series by the end of the second Test at Lord's inside four days with next week's third Test evoking limited interest now.
Pakistan's overall cricket, but their batting particular, has been poor and that's putting in mildly.
In the first Test at Leeds only Abdullah Shafique scored a half century. At Lord's, the only 50-plus score was the 97 by Saud Shakeel out of a total of 194.
Former batsman Saeed Anwar would be moved to remind the current crop that he scored that many (194) in an ODI against India in 1997.
Pakistan have a rich legacy. Unless their board involves those greats to lift their cricket (instead of raising objections to English broadcasters interviewing jailed captain Imran Khan's sons), Pakistan cricket will endure another period of performance infamy.
