Former Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram has stated that he knew the three-match Test series would end in Pakistan losing by 0-3. Notably, Pakistan is currently down 0-2 in two Tests, while the third and final Test is scheduled to start on Wednesday, September 9, in Birmingham.
Speaking to The Athletic, the former captain blamed Pakistan’s struggles across all three facets of the game. England won the first Test at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs before completing a 194-run victory at Lord’s.
“I knew before the series we were going to lose 3-0 to England. Our batting is struggling, our bowling is below average and our fielding is worse. It’s not rocket science,” Akram told The Athletic.
“But in Pakistan we have a saying: ‘You can only clap with two hands’. I get asked all the time, ‘Can you do something to help Pakistan cricket?’ But the issues are a lot deeper. These are the top players, there’s nothing else there. The systems aren’t there below that. The first-class structure domestically has been all over the place the last few years and there’s no consistency, no patience,” he added.
“That dribbles down to the fans, too. They see the team lose and they want to rip it all up, too. We’ve done that so many times and now there is nothing really left,” Wasim concluded.
On August 31, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released seven players after the team suffered a Test series defeat to England. Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad have been asked to return home.
On the other hand, Saim Ayub, Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran and Razaullah have been added to the updated Pakistan Test squad.
