Breaking records in the cricketing world and the hearts of Pakistani fans seems to be the new favourite pastime of the England cricket team.

Ben Stokes’ side continues to haunt Pakistan as they became the first team in history to whitewash the country on its home soil. That’s two heartbreaks in two months that the former colonisers have caused; first by shattering Pakistan’s T20 World Cup title hopes and now eliminating chances for its qualification to the World Test Championship final.

After a dry spell of 17 years, England marked its entry to Pakistan with a bang; smashing a record-breaking 506 runs on the first day of the opening Test. Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Harry Brook and Ben Duckett all scored centuries, becoming the first quartet to achieve the feat in a single day.

England started off the tour by breaking records on day one, and they ended it on the same note, staying consistent throughout the series. Ben Duckett’s final winning four off Mohammad Wasim in the National Stadium Karachi put a halt to the 20-day misery of the home side, as England registered its ninth victory in 10 Tests under Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum’s leadership.

The difference between the two teams was apparent not only in the skill set but the mindset and approach of its captains, too. It was Ben Stokes’ aggression versus Babar Azam’s timidity. It was Bazball versus Qudrat ka Nizam. One side was playing for the draw, while the other refused to even consider that an option. One might have been a better player, but the other was a far better captain.

Pakistan’s recent Test series with England brought out differences not only in the skill set but also the mindset of the two teams

Babar rose to a career-best ranking in Tests despite the embarrassing 3-0 defeat. The 28-year-old overtook Steve Smith to become the number two batsmen in the ICC Men’s Test Player ranking, after scoring 348 runs in the series, most by any batsman from his side.

Yet his individual performance failed to eclipse the leadership fiasco. Be it playing the right eleven, or fully utilising the resources at hand, Babar’s approach was shallow and basic, or as Nasser Hussain put it, “orthodox” and “textbook-like”.

On the other hand, Stokes could only manage one wicket in three games and his top score went only as far as 41, but he was exactly the alpha the England team needed. His decision to declare on day four of the first Test, that left victory up for grabs for both teams, showed his trust in his team to manage the reverse swing to their favour. It was a dangerous yet assertive call that only one of the two captains had the guts to make.

Pakistan’s list of woes in the longer format goes beyond just Babar’s leadership skills. The team also struggled due to the absence of its first-choice fast bowling attack, its failure to capitalise on the home advantage, because of the development of poor and dead pitches, its regular batting collapses and mediocre fielding.  

Shaheen Afridi, who injured his knee during the world T20 final in Melbourne last month, was not part of the squad. The unavailability of Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah further weakened the team’s fast bowling attack, as they missed the final two games after picking up injuries during the first Test. 

The only positive for the hosts was unearthing new talent. Six players made their debuts in the series against England, but the two that caught everyone’s attention were Saud Shakeel and Abrar Ahmed.

Ahmed, the “mystery spinner”, had a dream debut, taking 11 wickets in the second Multan Test, forcing everyone to question the management’s decision of not playing him in the first game. The 24-year-old was the highest wicket-taker, securing a total of 17 wickets in two Tests at an average of 27.17, hinting at a possible solution to Pakistan’s leg spin troubles in the longer format.

Ben Stokes’ side continues to haunt Pakistan as they became the first team in history to whitewash the country on its home soil. That’s two heartbreaks in two months that the former colonisers have caused; first by shattering Pakistan’s T20 World Cup title hopes and now eliminating chances for its qualification to the World Test Championship final.

As Ahmed used the ball to do the magic, Shakeel let his bat do the talking. The Karachi-born leftie was the second highest scorer for Pakistan, scoring 346 runs at an average of 57.66. His controversial dismissal in the second Test, where he was just short six runs of a century, was the turning point in the game.

Many, including the coach Saqlain Mushtaq, speculated a different result had Shakeel not been given out that day. The multiple replays of the catch were deemed inconclusive for the third umpire to overturn the soft signal. Pakistan still would have lost the series, but they might have had some hope left for the World Test Championship (WTC).

Ranked at number three, Pakistan couldn’t have asked for a better chance to qualify for the WTC final with five matches scheduled at home: three against England and two against New Zealand. Unfortunately, the recent series defeat led Pakistan to fall to the seventh spot, making it all but impossible for the team to make it to the big clash at the Oval in June next year.

After years of playing ‘home series’ in the United Arab Emirates, this new generation of Pakistan cricketers is unfamiliar with the conditions at home. From going undefeated consecutively for seven years in the UAE, to encountering four successive losses in Pakistan, it wasn’t exactly the homecoming the Babar Azam-led side had hoped for.  

The team had failed to capitalise on the real home advantage and Babar, like everyone else, was unhappy with how flat the Pindi surface had turned out. The failed attempt to change the bouncy track that usually favours pacers into a turning wicket led to a disaster. While Pakistan scored at a run rate of three per over, England used the same surface to score much faster, at a run rate of 6.5.

Kudos to Bazball, what seemed to be heading towards a boring run galore draw, was turned into an exciting decider on the final day. The ultra-aggressive brand of English cricket ensured this series will be remembered for years to come, giving a lifeline to the dying format and to the English red-ball side that, before the appointment of the McCullum-Stokes duo, had only one win in 17 games.

For Pakistan, however, to succeed in this format, they don’t have to shy away from adopting an open-minded approach and must play more Test cricket at home. The management also should show trust in its resources through actions and not mere statements.

The writer is a sports journalist and a Fullbright scholar
She tweets @Brashnaa

Published in Dawn, EOS, January 1st, 2023