Wasim Akram Gives Up On Pakistan Cricket

Wasim Akram and Babar Azam [Source: AFP]

The recent string of losses for Pakistan in Test cricket has been morale-damaging for the team as well as its veterans. One such veteran and former Pakistan pace legend, Wasim Akram, investigated the root cause behind this downfall while predicting an unfortunate ending for the team in England. 

Notably, since August 2016, when Pakistan reached the pinnacle of the ICC Test rankings for the first time in history, they have been slipping down the rankings. 

After losing 15 of their last 20 Tests, they currently sit at the bottom of the World Test Championship standings. Akram pointed out a few difficulties and inconveniences that the Pakistan Cricket Board and the team are creating for themselves.

Wasim Akram predicts a whitewash for Pakistan in Birmingham; Explains the root cause

Speaking about where the problem lies with the Test team, Wasim Akram shared that it is never a single fault of the players and that the problems run deeper, with Pakistan struggling in batting, bowling, as well as fielding. That is why Akram predicted a terrible whitewash is awaiting the team in Birmingham.

“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.

Akram then shared that the system and hierarchy through which Pakistan cricket is run are not right, since the domestic first-class structure has not been the pillar it should be for the Test cricket team. 

“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,” Akram told.

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Wasim Akram blames fans for Pakistan’s downfall

Criticism is part and parcel of Pakistan cricket, and Akram also pointed out the fact that the team’s fandom and the nation itself are among the reasons why the team is crumbling so badly.

“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.”

While positive criticism is always accepted, negative and harsh comments after a team loses can affect the morale of the captain as well as the players. 

Hence, the whitewash that seems imminent for Pakistan in Birmingham on September 9 is not a factor that they can avoid, according to Wasim Akram.

Pakistan’s eventual downfall in Test cricket

The Pakistan cricket team was at its peak in the 1980s, when it had a win-to-loss ratio of 1.769, playing 80 Test matches and winning 23 of them, while more importantly, drawing 44. 

Since then, a gradual decline in the team’s performance has been visible. In the next decade, the win-to-loss ratio dropped to 1.523, followed by a win percentage of 36.14%, and then a win percentage of 39.75% in the 2010s. 

This was followed by another downfall, with Pakistan managing a win rate of just 34.78% in the 2020s. It is worth noting that most of Pakistan’s wins have come in away matches. However, their win rate is highest at home venues, where they have won 64 of 173 games, drawn 78, and recorded a solid win percentage of 36.99%.

The string of poor away performances has continued in England as well, with Saud Shakeel being the highest run-scorer for the team, scoring 132 runs at an average of 33.0 from four innings. 

Meanwhile, Babar Azam, one of the team’s premier batters, has managed only 14 runs from two innings in the series. Shan Masood, another responsible top-order batter, has scored only 61 runs from the four innings he has played while averaging a poor 15.25 in English conditions.

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