CRICKET: FAILING EVERY TEST |
Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam flew back to Lahore from London with seven teammates missing from the squad he flew out with and only one World Test Championship (WTC) point after a five-Test tour of the West Indies and England. Pakistan had earned 12 WTC points from their lone Test win in the Windies, only to lose 11 of them during the England 3-0 whitewash.
The England tour has been compared with the 2010 spot-fixing scandal, even without any such case this time. It has been an absolute humiliation not just for the team but also for the fans sitting in front of their television screens. The English media called it the worst Pakistan team to tour England in 50 years, and many Pakistanis who initially criticised the British media for making such statements eventually agreed with them by the end of the tour.
Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB’s) Director of High Performance and selector Aaqib Javed, who expected at least one victory from the five Tests on the tours of England and the West Indies, also had to justify changes to the squad and coaching staff after Pakistan called two coaches and seven players back home and sent replacements during the tour.
We cannot even call this Pakistan team’s journey a rollercoaster ride, because a rollercoaster at least has some upward spikes, unlike Pakistan’s current record, with the team sitting at the bottom of the World Test Championship points table.
During the just-concluded tour, the English media labelled the Pakistan cricket team as the worst to tour England in 50 years. By the end of the series, most agreed. But the team’s failures on the field were only the tip of the issues…
During the just-concluded tour, the English media labelled the Pakistan cricket team as the worst to tour England in 50 years. By the end of the series, most agreed. But the team’s failures on the field were only the tip of the issues…
Every player on this tour has been a separate........