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Pakistan's crushing defeat to England has deepened the distress within the country's cricketing community. Led by Shan Masood, Pakistan became the first team in Test history to lose by an innings after scoring over 500 runs in their first innings during the 1st Test in Multan. After posting a formidable total of 556, Pakistan was shocked as England responded with a staggering 823/7. England's relentless bowling attack then dismantled Pakistan’s second innings, skittling the hosts out for just 220 and securing a comprehensive victory by an innings and 47 runs.
The defeat, part of a troubling trend of disappointing results in home Tests, has left fans and former players frustrated. Ex-fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was particularly vocal in his criticism, stating that Pakistan cricket has been in a steady decline for the past decade.
Speaking out about the team’s dismal performance, Akhtar pointed to the lack of quality in the current lineup, bluntly stating that the players are “simply not good enough.”
“Jo boyenge wo kaatenge (You will reap what you sow). Over the decades, I have seen the decline. The situation is disappointing. Losing is fine, but the game should be close. However, what we saw over the past two days, they completely gave up hope. This shows that we aren’t good enough. England scored 800+ and Bangladesh also beat you,” Akhtar told PTV Sports.
“Fans are saying that Pakistan should stop playing Test cricket. I saw some comments. ICC must be thinking, ‘Should we send teams to Pakistan and keep their Test status alive’. It’s just disheartening. This is going to hurt Pakistan cricket, fans and the upcoming talents. I want to request the PCB to sort out this mess,” he added.
After losing the first Test match against England, Pakistan will play the second Test match at the same venue scheduled to start from October 15
