Atiq-uz-Zaman openly called out Pakistan’s cricket in a state of “Shambles” and that it has hit an “all-time low” after their horrible performances in the first Two Tests against England. He also criticized Imam-ul-Haq for his decision of not batting in the second Test due to his injury woes.
Former Pakistani wicketkeeper-batter Atiq-uz-Zaman has heavily criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the state of the Pakistani men’s cricket team. He stated that Pakistan cricket has hit an “all-time low” and is currently “in shambles”, while expressing his disappointment over Pakistan’s horrible performance against England in the three-match Test series. Pakistan have already lost the Test series as they suffered disastrous losses in the consecutive first two Tests on British soil. This followed PCB’s calling off half of the team including the coaches back to Pakistan.
“I don’t understand why Khurram Shehzad was dropped or why the spinner (Ali Usman) was sent home after taking the most wickets in the Leeds Test. All of a sudden, now T20 bowlers are brought into the Test squad. Why? Because Mike Hesson has his personal favourites, and he brought those players into Test cricket. I don’t understand what’s going on. Pakistan cricket is in shambles at the moment. It really hurts me because, even though I live in England, I am Pakistani at heart. I played for my country and I want them to improve and perform well in different conditions. Pakistan cricket is currently at an all-time low” Atiq-uz-Zaman told IANS in an exclusive conversation from England.
“There is no justification for it. The same people who selected them are the ones turning around and deselecting them. That means either you made a mistake in the first place, or you are making a mistake right now. Look, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul are greats of Pakistan cricket. They’ve won World Cups for Pakistan. Sarfaraz won a World Cup at the U19 level and then won the Champions Trophy as national captain. He deserves respect. Now, I personally didn’t agree with him becoming the Pakistan Test team head coach because he lacked prior coaching experience and qualifications” Zaman continued.
“I didn’t support that appointment. But once you make him the coach, you have to back him. Give him a fair chance before you disrespect him and send him home in the middle of a Test series. It is unacceptable. I feel very sorry for Sarfaraz and Umar Gul because I don’t think they did anything wrong. If the players on the field can’t perform, or if you haven’t selected a team capable of performing, what is a coach supposed to do? Let’s see what Mike Hesson does now” he added.
Atiq-uz-Zaman took a dig at Imam-ul-Haq
Zaman also expressed his anger for the left-handed batter Imam-ul-Haq, who didn’t step out on the field in the Lord’s Test against England, citing his injuries after he was diagnosed with a grade-1 tear in his left calf. “Look, I won’t speculate on the exact severity of his injury, but in our culture, we are raised to be tough. If you have a Grade 1, 2, or even Grade 3 muscle strain, you still step out there and bat for your team. Even if you get out on the first ball, it doesn’t matter – the public sees that you showed heart, and they respect you for it. Instead, he made himself look bad by not batting in either innings, and then walking out in front of the media in shorts with bandages on his leg and heavily limping – even if you can’t run, you can still hit a ball. Look at Glenn Maxwell scoring a double hundred with severe hamstring cramps, or Chris Woakes coming out to bat with a fractured hand. Look at Saleem Malik playing against West Indies fast bowlers with a broken arm” Zaman said on Imam.
“Imam-ul-Haq should have walked out to bat. Even if he got out immediately, nobody would have questioned his commitment because he was genuinely injured. But limping around in front of the media after taking criticism the day before just looks like a performance. It leaves a bad impression, and I have no sympathy for that behaviour. If you don’t have the heart or bravery for international cricket, you shouldn’t be playing Test matches. Test cricket isn’t just a test of your skills – it’s a test of your character” he elaborated.
Pakistan’s worst ever England tour
Pakistan’s ongoing 2026 tour of England has been described as the nation’s worst-ever cricket tour of England by experts as they called this as Pakistan’s “worst Test side in 50 years”. Pakistan suffered a humiliating defeat against the English side in the first Test at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs in just three days and in the second Test at Lord’s by 194 runs, giving away the series to England with a match to play. This led to the PCB sacking seven players and two coaches in the middle of the series and calling them back home to Pakistan immediately. The third Test begins on the 9th of September, 2026 in Edgbaston.
Source: www.sportscapemagazine.com
