The 2020 tour of England was a disappointment for Pakistan

[Savak]

We lost the test series 1-0 but lets face it, the result would have been 2-0 had rain not helped us escape with a draw in the third test match. The bowlers bottled it badly against Buttler and Woakes who adopted ODI and T-20 tactics and completely unnerved the bowlers and the captain that day, we lost a golden opportunity to win that game. Heck the West Indies even won a test match against England granted that they just caught a rusty England off guard.

To me the biggest dissapointments were all of the bowlers. Shaheen has now played in the UAE, Pakistan, South Africa, England, Australia, he had more than enough exposure and experience to make a difference and he had shown tremendous improvement with his line and length and his ability to move the ball both ways prior to this series, unfortunately his speeds were down in the test series, his line and length was eratic, he failed to move the ball away from the right hander and his inswinger became predictable for the English batsmen. I expected a lot better from him. My biggest frustration with the guy is that he is almost 7 ft tall and all he does is pitch the ball up or back of a length but he very rarely bowls fast rapid bouncers. This is something he needs to develop and work on because if he can use that fast express heavy bouncer, he will learn the art of setting up the batsmen even more.

This might come as a surprise while Naseem Shah dissapointed with his inconsistency, english county line length style bowling and impatience, i wasn't as dissapointed with him as i was with Shaheen. I feel ultimately Shah suffered because of a 5th bowler who could take the workload of him and allow him to be used in short sharp bursts. This tour showed him where he stands against the best. He didn't have as much exposure as Shaheen before this series so i can forgive him and give him some margin to come back as an improved bowler.

Abbass to everyone's surprise for me was equally dissapointing. Everyone knew he in English Conditions will be dangerous like Mohd Asif with the new ball and he certainly proved that in the first test match with the new ball. But the guy became extremely useless with the old ball and England were very happy to just defend against him and play him out. He literally became a zulfiqar babar with the old ball. I am sorry but the premier fast bowling spearhead of the side is suppossed to get wickets at any stage in the match. If Abbas is unable to add more pace to his bowling then i am afraid Pakistan should consider moving him on because we do not need a Khalid Mahmud in our bowling line up and mark my words, other teams will neutralize him as well in due course.

Yasir Shah for me was the biggest dissapointment, this guy has now played in loads of Sena tours i.e. England, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and he still fails to impress in those conditions. It is now come to the point where it is clear he is a liability in these conditions, he is just incapable of finding a way to be economical on Day 1-3 when the pitches are condusive for batting, maybe Pakistan should consider taking Shadab as their premier spinner in SENA condition as it helps the balance of the side as Pakistan's premier spinner cannot be conceeding 200 runs in the first innings of the test match and being a burden on the other bowlers.

Pakistan's batting barring the second innings of the first test actually punched above its weight this series. 300 plus in the first innings of the first test, 200 plus on a green wicket in the second test, 250 plus in the third test and 187/4. 195 and 185 in the 2nd and 3rd T-20, the batting has not done badly at all.

Overall the Pakistani bowlers have proven to be extremely overhyped and high rated based on potential rather than output. England have stretched us in every game and we were found lagging behind them in many facets. If i were in the PCB, i would seriously grill Waqar Younis and Mushtaq Ahmed demanding an explanation for such a shameful showing by the bowlers on this tour and what have they actually contributed to correct this so far.

Everyone knew how highly rated Haider Ali was coming into this series so i won't really call him a find. Overall a tour which raises plenty of questions on many fronts for Pakistan and one i am glad that is over because the gulf between the two sides is significant.

 

[UP]

I agree with you pretty much on every point.

The 1st Test was a real heartbreak. Batters really bottled it up in the third inning, instead of batting England out of the game. Our batters can only dream of playing an inning like Buttler/Woakes of that forgettable day. We are a bunch of timid kittens who crumble under pump. The first Test was also tailor-made for Yasir and company and they messed up really bad. Bowling has not bailed us out in a long time.

I don’t rate Shaheen. He has a looooong way to go. Take a look at his Test performance - he was bearly visible. He has no bouncer.

The Test team is very average. Need to move on from Azhar, Asad virus.

T20 should have been 2-0 Pak but again we are the chokers.

 

[Mesozoic]

It all comes down to that post tea session on the final day at Old Trafford.

Had that gone the other way, it would have been a brilliant tour for Pakistan. But still not too bad. Competed well in 2/3 Tests and drawn the T20 series albeit against a depleted side.

3/5.

 

[Xoib]

Too much pressure on Shaheen and Naseem will ruin them they are expected to win major away series when the senior pacer to lead is no better then Aqib Javid or Saleem Altaf who loses his potency after 15 overs with the new ball.
In my opinion only Shaeen should play tests while Naseem should be developed in LOI's for next couple of years bring in Hassan N Ali and Ehsan Adil.

 

[Mamoon]

It was a disaster.

We only one 1 match and that too because of a lucky run out against a heavily depleted side. Basically England C.

 

[Slog]

It wasn’t really a disaster in terms of results. First test match was very disappointing and we won most sessions if not the test match.

However what was disappointing (and frankly what I knew) was Pakistan’s bowling attack.

Some impressions on key players on my end:


Abbas is a good bowler in English conditions and will largely do his job on most days. But he is declining. With this likely being our last England tour in a while his time is up soon.

Shaheen Shah can bowl good lines and uses his height well but he is far from finished article. He isn’t progressing as well as I would like but he is by and far our best upcoming prospect

The only reason Naseem Shah is even being given coverage is due to his bogus age. You could find dime a dozen bowlers of similar quality and development in their mid 20s. Most wont look at him twice if he wasn’t a so called teenager. He is well behind the eight ball and needs to develop quite a bit to justify the hype he has gotten.

Haris Rauf is ok and his ceiling in a best case scenario is Umar Gul. Though even that prolly is too much of a reach.

Babar has got all the talent but needs to play daddy innings. He needs to progress to the next level now. He is at an age close to when Smith, Kohli etc started to propel themselves to the elite elite level. He now has the eye balls and clearly has the skill set so the question is can he take the pressure and really make his mark. Excited!

Only one innings so far but Haider Ali seems quite a ways off from Babar Azam when he made his debut at 20-21. Felt he was putting in too much power rather than timing. Also have 2 chances before getting out.

Rizwan has got guts and heart. Like him a lot. Now needs to develop presence behind the stumps in terms of motivation etc.

 

[tahir_dj]

It was most boring tour

Rain ruined everything
No crowd
And performance was also shoddy

 

[Xoib]

It wasn’t really a disaster in terms of results. First test match was very disappointing and we won most sessions if not the test match.

However what was disappointing (and frankly what I knew) was Pakistan’s bowling attack.

Some impressions on key players on my end:


Abbas is a good bowler in English conditions and will largely do his job on most days. But he is declining. With this likely being our last England tour in a while his time is up soon.

Shaheen Shah can bowl good lines and uses his height well but he is far from finished article. He isn’t progressing as well as I would like but he is by and far our best upcoming prospect

The only reason Naseem Shah is even being given coverage is due to his bogus age. You could find dime a dozen bowlers of similar quality and development in their mid 20s. Most wont look at him twice if he wasn’t a so called teenager. He is well behind the eight ball and needs to develop quite a bit to justify the hype he has gotten.

Haris Rauf is ok and his ceiling in a best case scenario is Umar Gul. Though even that prolly is too much of a reach.

Babar has got all the talent but needs to play daddy innings. He needs to progress to the next level now. He is at an age close to when Smith, Kohli etc started to propel themselves to the elite elite level. He now has the eye balls and clearly has the skill set so the question is can he take the pressure and really make his mark. Excited!

Only one innings so far but Haider Ali seems quite a ways off from Babar Azam when he made his debut at 20-21. Felt he was putting in too much power rather than timing. Also have 2 chances before getting out.

Rizwan has got guts and heart. Like him a lot. Now needs to develop presence behind the stumps in terms of motivation etc.

The only issue is Nasem is not mid 20's and he is most likely even with a bogus age no more then 19-20 and he is way ahead of skills and development for a 20 yr old.

 

[Slog]

The only issue is Nasem is not mid 20's and he is most likely even with a bogus age no more then 19-20 and he is way ahead of skills and development for a 20 yr old.

Shaheen at 20 was streets ahead of Naseem right now. Amir at 19 was in a different stratosphere to Naseem right now

 

[Usman Chadda]

Not a great tour.

Bowling was hopelessly exposed. Relying on two teenagers to win you overseas series is frankly dumb, and it was proven here. However, when the experienced players are as one-dimensional as Abbas, we might have to endure some pain in the near future with these two bowlers.

Interesting that Shaheen was low on pace throughout the tour, but cranked it up in the very last match. He definitely has the 'shehzada' complex.

 

[Mesozoic]

It was a disaster.

We only one 1 match and that too because of a lucky run out against a heavily depleted side. Basically England C.

Don't you often say that Pakistan are at Sri Lanka, West Indies,. Bangladesh level ?

So, how was this tour a disaster for Pak when they managed to compete well in 2/3 Tests and and drawn the T20 series against a much superior side ?

 

[Slog]

Don't you often say that Pakistan are at Sri Lanka, West Indies,. Bangladesh level ?

So, how was this tour a disaster for Pak when they managed to compete well in 2/3 Tests and and drawn the T20 series against a much superior side ?

Tough question lol.

He rates pakistan as just above associate level but judges them from lens of a #1 team

 

[SpiritOf1903]

1st test second innings was being consolidated when an idiotic run-out killed it. That said, it was a fluke innings that teed it up so, disappointing, it was crushing. Couldn't watch as the partnership built and not see highlights either

 

[GreenKhan]

It was a decent tour .

Of the three completed matches they lost two , and the two they lost were close matches and they we were in winning positions in both .

Three were rain affected . They were in a decent position in the the second test and the first t20.

Main thing is we learn from the tour and back more youngsters . It was not the disaster that it is being made out to be.

 

[Xoib]

Shaheen at 20 was streets ahead of Naseem right now. Amir at 19 was in a different stratosphere to Naseem right now

Shaheen was not street ahead then Naseem in tests despite getting the new ball apart from walking wicket Burns he never looked like taking a wicket Broad while slogging at 580 odd does not count. Even Cricinfo rated Naseem at 5.5 to Shaheen 5 for the series on the basis that he bowled more potential wicket taking balls then Shaheen and was slight unlucky with the edges though to be honest both were under par
Also harsh to compare Nasem against young Amir. Amir at 19 is the greatest teen talent ever along with Sachin even a 19 Yr old Steyn or Starc will not match to Amir at that age its no shame to be not as good as a teen Amir as that is arguably the greatest teen fast bowler in the history.

 

[PakPremi]

Don't you often say that Pakistan are at Sri Lanka, West Indies,. Bangladesh level ?

So, how was this tour a disaster for Pak when they managed to compete well in 2/3 Tests and and drawn the T20 series against a much superior side ?

First T20 England were 130 for 6 in 16 overs with only hopeless tailenders to come. Pak would have won that match too. Its lucky to get a run out with brilliant fielding but not lucky if you survive an easy stumping because Sarfraz was sleeping behind the stumps. Only Mamoon logic can see this.

 

[Hasan123]

Our bowling was massively exposed on this tour. Naseem was getting a lot of hype and he did not live up to it. Shaheen didn't perform despite having done well at the WC last year.

 

[Rayyman]

Pakistan team is looking decent. Misbah just needs to make a few more changes.

The Test is probably the worst, and when it comes to overage players, they make the red-ball team worse. Pakistan needs to change that opening combination. Pick a young opener who has a future in Test cricket. Shan Masood is okay, but he struggled after that great 100 he scored. He will never be a top batsman. And neither will Abid Ali. He will not improve more than what he is right now. Abid struggles mightily against pace. I would replace one of these guys with either Sami Aslam, Imam ul-Haq or Imran Butt. Three young guys with good techniques/temperaments and can become really good red-ball openers. As for the bowling, Misbah has to stop picking old players that he played with in the past. Simple as that, stop selecting Imran Khan Jr, Sohail Khan and even Kashif Bhatti. Because what happens is that when the first choice players struggle, then you cannot replace them because the replacements on the bench are so bad. And playing two teenagers is just a ploy so people do not see Misbah's true intentions. Two pacers I would bring into the squad are Ehsan Adil and Sameen Gul who are both mid-20s and had good domestic seasons on batting pitches. Those two along with Shaheen, Abbas and Naseem should be the 5 pacers for e v e r y Test squad. Keep the core of pacers consistently just like the top teams (AUS, IND, NZ, ENG) do. Shadab needs to be kicked out as well, he never made the team based on 1st-class performance, which should be the criteria. Not being friends with the CS.

As for T20Is. Pakistan looked really good. The 1st T20I was easily their game, before rain saved England. Morgan single-handedly won them the second match. England were only really missing Roy and Buttler. Stokes and Archer aren't great T20I players so Pakistan could have done still done decently had they played. The problem with Pakistan's batting was the middle-order. Fakhar and Haider should be persisted with. That should be the Top 3 in whichever order moving forward. If they want then Babar can move to #3 as Haider is better as an opener, but it doesn't matter. Hafeez was good. One of him or Malik still has to be kicked out for a power-hitter, as their wicket-keepers are basically tail-enders in this format. Khushdil should come in for the next series. Imad needs to be played as a batting all-rounder. His spin is handy, but his main strength is batting and should be in the Top 6. He has the 2nd best SR for Pak. after Afridi even though he does not hit many sixes. Shadab has got to stop being treated as a golden boy. The guy has been consistently selected in every match since his debut as if he is one of Pakistan's best player. I say play four pacers with Imad, and get in Shadab, only if you need a second spinner. His batting is nothing special. A few lucky innings in PSL/BPL do not count. As for the pacers, Amir struggled, but he only bowled a couple overs, I would stick with him. I am not sold on Shaheen in T20Is, he is too inconsistent with his line and length which he can get away with in longer formats. Wahab stays for now. Haris Rauf impressed me a lot with his pace and aggression. Though he might have scared a few people watching, but that's the point, fast-bowlers are supposed to intimidate. Hasnain was undeservedly left on the bench after bowling so well in the PSL and vs BD. I would go with this team in the next T20I (vs SA or ZIM?): Fakhar, Haider, Babar*, Hafeez, Khushdil, Imad, Rizwan+, Wahab, Amir, Shaheen, Rauf. With Shadab replacing Shaheen on a spinning wicket. But it really is high time to kick out passengers like Sarfraz and Malik.

 

[Titan24]

People shouldnt forget more than two months of biosecure environment, no warm up matches, only inter squad matches on random grounds. The test matches which Pak played were their first competitive games for the players in months. England was coming on the back of three tests.

It was a one of its kind tour which is a fact which definitely cant be ignored. It takes a toll irrespective of how mentally strong you are.

I am not defending the team’s ordinary performance but, just putting in the facts forward which many can overlook.

 

[Artaxerxes]

Pakistan played well.Pakistan fans always have unrealistic expectations.The series was competive.England test team very experienced and in English conditions very difficult to beat.

 

[Mamoon]

Don't you often say that Pakistan are at Sri Lanka, West Indies,. Bangladesh level ?

So, how was this tour a disaster for Pak when they managed to compete well in 2/3 Tests and and drawn the T20 series against a much superior side ?

West Indies won a Test. If if wasn’t for rain, Pakistan would have been whitewashed in Tests and would have lost the T20 series 2-1 against England Lions.

Clearly a shambolic effort, notwithstanding the fact that Pakistan is undoubtedly a dreadful team in all three formats.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Stats from the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvPAK</a> T20I series:<br><br>&#55356;&#57295; Most runs: Mohammad Hafeez (155)<br> Most wickets: Shadab Khan (5)<br>&#55357;&#56490; Most catches: Imad Wasim (4)<br>&#55357;&#56520; Highest total: England (199/5) <a href="https://t.co/TD8NxNDR1s">pic.twitter.com/TD8NxNDR1s</a></p>— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1301362542770561024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Loralai]

Why was it a disappointment? I think 1-0 England was a very flattering result given that we would have almost certainly lost the third Test.

It is our own fault for losing in Manchester. We can't blame anyone but ourselves. You need your key players to turn up if you are going to win Tests but Babar, Azhar, Asad went missing in the second innings with the bat.

1-1 is a fair result too in the T20 series. If it had been a full strength England team with Roy, Buttler and Stokes we would have been demolished. Have people forgotten what happened during our ODI series in England just last year?

 

[Nikhil_cric]

It wasn’t really a disaster in terms of results. First test match was very disappointing and we won most sessions if not the test match.

However what was disappointing (and frankly what I knew) was Pakistan’s bowling attack.

Some impressions on key players on my end:


Abbas is a good bowler in English conditions and will largely do his job on most days. But he is declining. With this likely being our last England tour in a while his time is up soon.

Shaheen Shah can bowl good lines and uses his height well but he is far from finished article. He isn’t progressing as well as I would like but he is by and far our best upcoming prospect

The only reason Naseem Shah is even being given coverage is due to his bogus age. You could find dime a dozen bowlers of similar quality and development in their mid 20s. Most wont look at him twice if he wasn’t a so called teenager. He is well behind the eight ball and needs to develop quite a bit to justify the hype he has gotten.

Haris Rauf is ok and his ceiling in a best case scenario is Umar Gul. Though even that prolly is too much of a reach.

Babar has got all the talent but needs to play daddy innings. He needs to progress to the next level now. He is at an age close to when Smith, Kohli etc started to propel themselves to the elite elite level. He now has the eye balls and clearly has the skill set so the question is can he take the pressure and really make his mark. Excited!

Only one innings so far but Haider Ali seems quite a ways off from Babar Azam when he made his debut at 20-21. Felt he was putting in too much power rather than timing. Also have 2 chances before getting out.

Rizwan has got guts and heart. Like him a lot. Now needs to develop presence behind the stumps in terms of motivation etc.

Agree with almost all points except the one about Babar. He's actually ahead of where Kohli was at the same stage in his career.

 

[sweep_shot]

Pakistan lost to Butler-Woakes partnership. That one partnership was the difference between losing 0-1 and winning 1-0.

I personally feel it was an average series for Pakistan. Neither too bad nor too good.

 

[Rana]

We should have won the first Test
Most likely would have won the 2nd Test

1st T20 hard to call who was in the driving seat
Fairly beaten in the 2nd T20
Made a comfortable victory in the 3rd T20 slightly harder than it should have been.

We will never truly know because the rain has robbed Pakistan with a few clear victories

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Why was it a disappointment? I think 1-0 England was a very flattering result given that we would have almost certainly lost the third Test.

It is our own fault for losing in Manchester. We can't blame anyone but ourselves. You need your key players to turn up if you are going to win Tests but Babar, Azhar, Asad went missing in the second innings with the bat.

1-1 is a fair result too in the T20 series. If it had been a full strength England team with Roy, Buttler and Stokes we would have been demolished. Have people forgotten what happened during our ODI series in England just last year?

Surprisingly, no mention of Misbah's spectacular failure as coach, Yasir's failure in the 4th innings and the failures of Shaheen and Naseem at crucial stages in the test series. Babar actually had a good series and Azhar contributed as well

 

[Mesozoic]

We should have won the first Test
Most likely would have won the 2nd Test

1st T20 hard to call who was in the driving seat
Fairly beaten in the 2nd T20
Made a comfortable victory in the 3rd T20 slightly harder than it should have been.

We will never truly know because the rain has robbed Pakistan with a few clear victories

Only team that was robbed off a "clear victory" was England in the final Test.

In no way were Pakistan the "most likely" winners in the second Test. They lost from a 330 vs 60/4 situation in the 1st Test. Anyone that says they were the favourites in a 230 vs 110/4 scenario are either clueless or delusional... .

 

[shaz619]

I don't quiet follow the criticism of Yasir especially when you agree that the others did not deliver, a spinner should not bowl as many overs as he did in England and by far he was the best bowler of the series for Pakistan actually; with ridiculous field sets, defensive tactics and zero support; expecting miracles every innings is harsh, but he bowled quiet well overall.

As for the rest of the OP, Pak did well in parts but conditions were very challenging and Pak were up against arguably England's best bowling attack ever, on top of that I think you all expected too much from a bunch of kids as far as the bowling is concerned. You need to give England more credit, I feel the 1-0 margin is just about right and Pak did as well as they could have although they should be disappointed for not closing the game in the 1st Test.

I feel you should rightfully criticise them for failing to win the T20 series against our B side effectively.

 

[shaz619]

Agree with almost all points except the one about Babar. He's actually ahead of where Kohli was at the same stage in his career.

He is ahead of him even now, no Batsman in the world is in the top 5 across all forms of the game; Babar is the best player in the world followed by Ben Stokes

 

[Nikhil_cric]

He is ahead of him even now, no Batsman in the world is in the top 5 across all forms of the game; Babar is the best player in the world followed by Ben Stokes

Strictly talking about tests shazzy. We all know Bobby is the most talented batsman to emerge since AB made his debut

 

[shaz619]

We should have won the first Test
Most likely would have won the 2nd Test

1st T20 hard to call who was in the driving seat
Fairly beaten in the 2nd T20
Made a comfortable victory in the 3rd T20 slightly harder than it should have been.

We will never truly know because the rain has robbed Pakistan with a few clear victories

Which victories did rain rob Pakistan from if anything you can argue we could have made it 2-0 I highly doubt you would have won the 1st T20 as well

 

[Kroll]

It was expected although I'm not happy about it. Misbah is just wasting time with his selections and strategies. Hence we don't have teams fit for purpose in any format.

 

[shaz619]

Strictly talking about tests shazzy. We all know Bobby is the most talented batsman to emerge since AB made his debut

Hmm in Tests I don't know based on his recent form but maybe the IPL should help him shake of the rust

 

[Loralai]

Surprisingly, no mention of Misbah's spectacular failure as coach, Yasir's failure in the 4th innings and the failures of Shaheen and Naseem at crucial stages in the test series. Babar actually had a good series and Azhar contributed as well

When you get a chance in Test cricket to bat the opposition out of the game, you should take it.

We led by 100+ going into the second innings of that Test. We only needed to put up another 250 to make it our game. Instead we could not even do that and if it was not for Yasir Shah England would have not even had 277 to chase.

It was important at moments like that to drive home the advantage, but as always, we flopped because we lack mental strength.

Yes, Misbah deserves to be criticised. Yasir generally bowled well in the series and it is wrong to criticise him.

Shaheen and Naseem are both inexperienced and it isn't them who deserves the blame. They have promise but only that.

So yes, blame lies with those who have played 70+ Tests like Azhar and Asad, and with Babar who had a disappointing series.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Agree with almost all points except the one about Babar. He's actually ahead of where Kohli was at the same stage in his career.

Kohli is 31,when he was 26 i.e in 2015 he was a better odi player than babar.Dont go by stats ,kohli won many matches single-handedly in ODIs,apart from one hundred against newzealand babar has nothing to show against top teams in Lois.
Even in tests kohli dominated an Australian tour by scoring 4 centuries,babar hasn't really dominated any test series.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Kohli is 31,when he was 26 i.e in 2015 he was a better odi player than babar.Dont go by stats ,kohli won many matches single-handedly in ODIs,apart from one hundred against newzealand babar has nothing to show against top teams in Lois.
Even in tests kohli dominated an Australian tour by scoring 4 centuries,babar hasn't really dominated any test series.

Bro I clearly said tests. At the same age, Babar is clearly the superior test player. The Australian tour is when he turned it around. Equivalent for Bobby will be upcoming NZ tour.

 

[Slog]

The only reason Naseem Shah is even being given coverage is due to his bogus age. You could find dime a dozen bowlers of similar quality and development in their mid 20s. Most wont look at him twice if he wasn’t a so called teenager. He is well behind the eight ball and needs to develop quite a bit to justify the hype he has gotten.

Well atleast I can say I’ve been entirely consistent and been calling him out since day 1