Stuart Broad insults Pakistan ahead of Test series vs ENG | PC- AFP
Pakistan and England will soon be at loggerheads in a gruelling three-match Test series, starting from this Wednesday (August 19) at Headingley. Although the visitors will start as the second favourites, Stuart Broad has already begun mind games on behalf of the English team.
The former English cricketer, who has become a broadcaster since his retirement, insulted the visiting Pakistan unit ahead of the big series.
That said, Pakistan haven't had a great time on their previous Test tours to England. Since the turn of this century, they have won just five Test matches in England out of 19 attempts.
However, under Babar Azam, they would look to change those stats and strengthen their case for reaching their maiden WTC final.
Stuart Broad deems Pakistan a "poor side"
While questioning Pakistan's pace bowling battery and the Asian side as a whole, Stuart Broad decided to not mince his words and called the visitors a "poor side". Meanwhile, he also predicted another whitewash for Pakistan in a Test series this year.
The former English seamer further questioned Pakistan's strategy behind recalling the 36-year-old Mohammad Abbas at the fag-end of his career.
Also Read: PAK vs ENG Head To Head Records- 1st Test, Pakistan Tour of England 2026
"They have got Mohammad Abbas, who is coming back to the side, who is 36, but they are a poor side. They are not really a good side. You would imagine and you would think that England should win 3-0 and pretty comfortably," Stuart Broad stated on the For The Love Of Cricket podcast.
Notably, Abbas has been recalled to the Test setup ahead of Pakistan's tour of Bangladesh earlier this year. That said, he has been remarkable on his return, scalping 18 wickets in three matches at stupendous numbers.
That said, Broad's comments about Pakistan aren't untrue either, as they have performed below par in the ongoing WTC cycle, losing four of six Test matches, including being whitewashed in Bangladesh.
Pakistan's chances without Babar Azam in Headingley
Moreover, Pakistan's Test captain and most prolific batter Babar Azam was ruled out of the ENG vs PAK 1st Test on the eve of the big series.
The 31-year-old, who is coming off a Player of the Series performance in West Indies, injured his right hand during the warm-up match in Beckenham.
Although head coach Sarfaraz Khan is confident about the stylish batter's return at Lord's, his absence makes the already inexperienced Pakistan batting order even more bleak. Salman Ali Agha is announced as the stand-in captain for the first Test match against England at Headingley, Leeds, starting on August 19.
Pakistan coming off fantastic West Indies tour
After a shambolic defeat in Bangladesh, Pakistan underwent massive changes in their leadership group. Shan Masood was replaced as captain by Babar Azam.
At the same time, the selectors had already decided to field specialist seamers, comprising Mohammad Abbas and Khuram Shehzad, instead of the all-format pacers such as Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali and Naseem Shah.
The bold move worked like a charm for the Asian side in the West Indies. Although they faced a hard loss in the first Test at Tarouba, the Babar Azam-led side bagged a statement victory in the second game in Trinidad.
Moreover, the Men in Green continued their form in the warm-up match against the County Club Select XI in Beckenham, where the likes of Saud Shakeel, Abdullah Shafique, Usman Ali and Mohammad Ali showed encouraging signs ahead of the three-match Test series.
