Pakistan cricket hit a fresh low during the dismal 3-0 Test whitewash in England, even if a dazzling cameo by debutant Razaullah at least ensured a tour marred by mid-series sackings ended with a flicker of hope.
Decline in Local Academy Participation
Mohammad Afzal, a banker, revealed that he and his four sons have lost interest in their local academy over the past two years. The family’s decline in engagement is attributed to the team’s poor performance. ‘All my four sons and I used to play in a local academy but in the last two years we all have lost interest as our team is not doing well,’ Afzal stated.
Batting Struggles Lead to Squad Changes
In a significant shake-up, seven players have been expelled from the squad following a disappointing performance where the batting lineup failed to surpass 200 runs in five out of six innings. This marks a new low for a team that has struggled with consistency.
White-ball coach Mike Hesson was brought in to take charge of the side for the third and final Test, a move which failed to reverse Pakistan’s fortunes. Described as the worst team to tour England in the last 50 years, Pakistan’s cycle of chopping and changing continued when head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling chief Umar Gul were sacked from their posts. Pakistan failed to reach the semi-finals of the 2026 T20 World Cup, while another campaign two years earlier ended in an embarrassing group-stage exit that included a shock defeat against an unfancied USA side.
Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram said he had predicted this free fall. “We had a great number of match-winners and a strong legacy, and that is why we produced results in the past,” Ahmed told AFP. “Now the decline is steep and will take time to fix.”
