England will win this series comfortably and they won the Sri Lankan series comfortably as well. However, England should definitely be a bit disappointed because they should have won all Tests this summer.
The fact is that Sri Lanka and Pakistan are no match for a full-strength English team in English conditions.
It is a good summer for England, but it could have been greater.
This match is turning into an absolute rout. Could very well be our record defeat in Test history.
I don't think this team is mentally strong enough to respond after this embarrassment. This is an aspect where this England team is very good. They brush off defeats very quickly and are able to switch on without lingering on it.
Firstly, England back themselves to win in England regardless of who they are playing against. Secondly, if Pakistan would have come anywhere close to matching England's achievements in Tests over the last 5 years, Pakistani folks would have had more reasons to be optimistic than Pakistani folks.
We are talking about a team that has reached the number one ranking and won in Australia, India and South Africa in the last 5 years, compared to a team that has played almost all of its cricket in the UAE in the last 6 years and got thumped in South Africa and couldn't even win a series in Zimbabwe.
Too much is made of England not winning a Test against Pakistan in the UAE. I think we need to have some perspective here.
Firstly, the only reason why they did not win the Abu Dhabi Test was because of bad light. That match was good as a defeat for Pakistan.
Secondly, England compete pretty well in the UAE but they have been found wanting when it comes to finishing off games, while Pakistan have shown a lot of resilience which is appreciable.
The 3-0 whitewash in 2012 was by no means a one-sided series, even if we won all matches. Similarly in 2015, they were on the bring of winning in Abu Dhabi and had a 70 runs lead at Sharjah.
Pakistan on the other hand did win a match in 2010 and have won one in 2016 too, but our defeats are much heavier, we ended up getting beat black and blue.
We are absolutely thrashed in the first, second and fourth Tests in England in 2010 and we are getting absolutely thrashed here.
In fact, we can potentially suffer our worst innings defeat in Test cricket here, a record that was set at Lord's in 2010.
In other words, England could very well hand us consecutive record-breaking innings defeats in England.
In 2010, we also suffered our largest defeat by runs in the first Test.
At least England compete for 60%-70% of the matches in the UAE, while Pakistan hardly compete for more than 20% in most matches.
I don't know if I would take one or two wins and 5-6 massive thrashings or no wins but a very near-win and 2-3 normal losses.
It applies to Pakistan because Pakistani fans like to pretend that Pakistan is the best Test team in the world and good enough to compete everywhere.
This thread, which came after just one match, is testament to this mentality.
If Pakistani fans accept that Pakistan is just another HTB Test team, people will not make too much of these losses, but when you talk big, you will have to bear the consequences.
Even though we got thrashed in SA in 2013 and couldn't win in Zimbabwe, Pakistani fans really overrate their Test team.
In truth, it is at the same level as India and better than Sri Lanka at the moment. Not the best team by any measure.
That is another myth. Our batsmen simply don't have the class and the ability to score runs in places like England, Australia, South Africa etc. even if they play there every year.
Our one opener is not Test class outside Asia while our other opener is not Test class anywhere. The middle-order including Younis Khan is rubbish against quality pace bowling and so is our wicket-keeper.
Fast bowling is extremely mediocre as well.
We cannot perform at the same level as England in other countries not because England play more matches but because our batsmen are not fit to wipe shoes of Root and Cook and Anderson and Broad are far better than our pacers.
In addition, we have no all-rounders at all and they have Stokes and now Woakes.
Yes it is not over, but I don't see a way back after this thrashing. The scars won't go away easily and we are mentally shot now.
