Pakistan cricket report card: The good, the bad and the ugly

Pakistan cricket has gone into complete meltdown following yet another chastening defeat against a top team.

Upheaval in Pakistan cricket is not a new phenomenon and most fans have become accustomed to dramatic developments from the South Asian giants.

However, what happened in the aftermath of the second Test against England at Lord’s was unprecedented even by Pakistan cricket’s mercurial standards.

Following two heavy losses – by an innings and 103 runs in the opening match and by 194 runs in the second – Pakistan team management took the drastic step of removing seven players and the head coach.

Out went former captains Mohammad ​Rizwan and Salman Agha, opener Imam-ul-Haq, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad.

Sarfaraz Ahmed, ⁠who was appointed as the head coach of the Test side ⁠in April, was replaced by white-ball coach Mike Hesson.

As many as five uncapped players have been included for the third Test which begins next week in Birmingham.

It marked another low point in Pakistan cricket which has been on a downward spiral for quite some time.

Their Test team has been in particularly bad shape, while their white-ball sides have done better, comparatively.

Former Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur lambasted the team management for the knee-jerk reactions.

“This is the reason they are in the mess they are because they constantly chop and change players, coaches and selectors and there in no stability,” Arthur wrote on X.

So is it all bad in Pakistan cricket? Here we take a look at the Pakistan team’s performances over the last few seasons and where it actually stands.

Failures of epic proportions

– Pakistan have lost 15 of their last 20 Test matches. They have lost an incredible 10 of their last 11 away Tests.

– Pakistan failed to qualify for the knockout stage of the 2023 ODI World Cup, 2024 and 2026 T20 World Cups.

– Pakistan made 11 coaching changes across their teams in the last five years.

– Pakistan rotated captaincy among seven players across formats since 2021.

– Pakistan lost four out of their last five bilateral series against Bangladesh across formats, including successive Test series defeats.

– In the World Test Championship, Pakistan finished sixth in the rankings in the inaugural 2019/21 edition, seventh in the 2021/23 cycle, and last in 2023/25.

– Out of the seven players brought in for the third and final match against England, five have never played Test cricket.

It’s not all doom and gloom

– Pakistan have a respectable record in T20 cricket over the last two years. They reached the final of the 2025 Asia Cup and came close to defeating India in the title match in Dubai.

– In the last two seasons, their T20 record stands at a respectable 31 wins and 22 losses.

– Earlier this year, Pakistan thrashed Australia by 111 runs in Lahore to seal a 3-0 T20 series sweep. They handed Australia their biggest defeat in T20Is.

– They did reach the Super Eight stage of this year’s T20 World Cup and lost only two games in the tournament – to eventual champions India and semi-finalists England.

– In ODIs, Pakistan are not too far behind, with 17 wins and 15 defeats in 32 matches since 2024. However, they failed to make any impact in their ‘home’ Champions Trophy last year.

– There are pockets of individual brilliance as well. Spinner Abrar Ahmed is ranked second in ICC rankings for both ODIs and T20s. Opening batter Sahibzada Farhan is secondin T20 batting rankings, while Babar Azam, despite diminishing returns, is sixth in ODI batting table.

Verdict

Despite their troubles in the Test format, Pakistan remain a force to be reckoned with in white-ball cricket, especially in T20s.

It is reflected in the ICC table; Pakistan are ranked eighth in Tests, fifth in ODIs and sixth in T20s. The situation in T20s is relatively better as teams ranked fourth to sixth are separated by just seven points.

However, any setup needs stability to function. There is a growing sense of fear among the players and management about their job security. And that can never deliver long-term results.

Source: www.thenationalnews.com