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.
“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,” said Mohammad Afzal, a banker.
Seven players were expelled from the squad as the often vulnerable batting fell to a new low, failing to cross 200 in five of the six innings.
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.”
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.
