After the first test match with England, renowned English cricket journalist Scyld Berry wrote in the Daily Telegraph about Pakistan’s test team as the worst side in 50 years. He was statistically correct, but for cricket fans at home, it was painful and alarming. In 2022, our team was ranked 5th in the ICC Test rankings, which went down to 7th in 2024, and now we are holding 9th position, which happens to be the lowest on the ranking table. Leaving aside rain delays, we lost both test matches against England within 3 days of actual playing time, thus saving 2 days each for picnic trips or some soul-searching. PCB showing concern immediately flew white ball coach to London in the middle of the second test match for reasons best known to PCB only.

Paradoxically, any player in our Test team can be dropped from the playing eleven and replaced by another sitting in the pavilion, even the vice-captain. We saw this in Salman Agha not playing the 2nd Test match. The irony is that the decision was made on merit. The nation watched images of players with 2 to 3 bandages on their hands guarding slips and dropping catches, while Shaheen Afridi kept standing at square leg with an injured finger. Rizwan Ahmed fearfully stood near the stumps with a loosely fitted stomach guard and a borrowed fielder’s helmet, giving a clumsy look. All this reflects a lack of........

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