File photo of Babar Azam©Twitter
After Pakistan’s recent Test series loss to Bangladesh at home, criticism has been rife. What’s worse is that this is not a one-off loss. The Pakistan cricket team has been in a poor run of form in the past few months. From the 2023 ODI World Cup to the 2024 T20 World Cup, Pakistan’s performance has been unsatisfactory. There have been too many changes at the top, with Babar Azam being ousted as captain only to be reinstated as white-ball skipper a few weeks later. Now, according to a report in Cricket Pakistan, Babar Azam could be sacked again and Mohammad Rizwan will be the white-ball captain.
The report also claimed that Rizwan could captain in all three formats.
The cricket-mad nation was left despondent after losing the second Test in Rawalpindi by six wickets on Tuesday, with Bangladesh winning the series 2-0. It was the 10th consecutive home Test without a win for former powerhouse Pakistan and came shortly after failing to progress from their groups in both the 50-over and T20 World Cups last year.
“It's a huge setback and our cricket is at a crossroads,” former Pakistan captain and legendary fast bowler Wasim Akram told AFP. “As a former player and captain, and lover of the game, I was embarrassed by the way they lost from good positions. I just don't understand it.
“We are losing on our own ground all the time and that says a lot about the quality of our cricket,” added Akram, who played 104 Tests and 356 One-Day Internationals for Pakistan.
The defeat by Bangladesh comes hot on the heels of humiliating losses to Afghanistan and the US in the ODI and T20 World Cups respectively. Pakistan also have a dismal record in Tests at home over the past three years — six defeats and four draws, including England's first-ever 3-0 series sweep there in 2022.
Ominously, in-form England are Pakistan's next guests, playing three Tests, starting in Multan on October 7. Pakistan have fared no better away from home, losing all three Tests in Australia earlier this year – their sixth successive win there since 1999.
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