Pakistan’s Plight Deepens as Abbas Highlights Teamwide Worries

Mohammad Abbas remained unbeaten as Pakistan’s final wicket fell, a fitting outcome for the sole player to emerge from this series with any credit.

Earlier in the day, he secured a five-wicket haul to earn a place on the Lord’s honours board. At this venue, his record is phenomenal, claiming 17 wickets in four innings at an average under 12. While Abbas the bowler has little to worry about, the same certainly cannot be said for the Pakistan side as a whole.

“Our performance is a concern for everyone,” Abbas stated. “Everyone is worried, including the selection committee and the NCA. We are not performing well, and we accept that. Our batting, bowling, and fielding have been subpar, and we discuss this constantly in meetings. We must all work on these areas.”

While perhaps less devastating than the hammering in Leeds the previous week, suggesting the outcome was ever genuinely in doubt would be a significant stretch.

England established a 180-run lead in the first innings, leaving Pakistan to merely contain the damage. Despite Abbas’ nine-wicket haul, England had amassed far too many runs in the first session, particularly through their lower order. After reaching 222 for 8, they added 68 runs, highlighting Pakistan’s persistent inability to dismiss the tail.

Predictably, Pakistan’s fielding contributed significantly to the collapse, showing little improvement in this Test. The catching, in particular, was deeply troubling. Despite a brilliant diving stop by Salman Agha as a substitute in the slips, Pakistan dropped at least four catches at pivotal moments during the first innings.

“We dropped catches, allowing their key players to score 70-odd extra runs,” Abbas explained. “That is where the match shifted, as we could have bowled them out for 200. It is deeply disappointing.”

Cruelly, this occurs during a phase of his career where Abbas is experiencing greater success and adulation in Test cricket than perhaps ever before. Over his last six Tests, he has claimed 28 wickets at an average under 19. With Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah’s standing in Test cricket declining, Abbas has emerged as the seasoned leader of Pakistan’s seam attack.

Pakistan toiled hard with the ball but lacked penetration at key moments of the Test•Stu Forster/Getty Images

He never harbored resentment toward the years he was overlooked, and his resurgence amidst a lack of team victory seems to give him no joy. “Individual performances matter, but I strive to perform in a way that helps the team win. It has been many matches where I have performed well, yet the team has not won.”

“I did what was required of me. I played domestic cricket in Pakistan and county cricket. I performed with what I had, and the management made their decisions as they saw fit. Whether I am selected is simply not within my control.”

Back in Pakistan, there was fury over the lethargic defeat at Headingley, a sentiment that will inevitably intensify now that they have lost the series. It marks their 15th defeat in their last 20 Tests and their 10th away defeat in 11 matches. They currently sit at the bottom of the World Test Championship rankings, with few obvious pathways to a swift reversal of fortunes.

Abbas, however, dismissed the notion that any of this stemmed from a lack of effort. “This is Test cricket. Every run and wicket contributes to your career. Everyone understands this responsibility and everyone is trying. We are getting bowled out in 35 to 50 overs, but this is simply not a settled side.”

“In Bangladesh, we had a different bowling combination to what we have here. We won a Test in the West Indies. The players are adjusting, but experience is crucial in Test cricket. I have played 32 Test matches, but the fast bowlers playing alongside me are very new to the format. However, everyone is striving to improve.”

The concerns extend beyond a lack of experience to an absence of genuine pace. Abbas is the slowest of the three pace bowlers, yet by far the most skillful. Consequently, speed has never been an issue for him, nor for his English medium-fast counterpart, Ollie Robinson. However, while Robinson has Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue—bowlers who can frequently exceed 90mph—Abbas’s seam companions are barely quicker than him. Mohammad Ali once clocked 86mph but generally operates between 78 and 82mph, as does Khurram Shahzad.

“Everyone has their own skill,” Abbas remarked. “I have never bowled 140km/h in my life, so I bowl according to my own capabilities. Just as there are partnerships in batting, there are partnerships in bowling. We did not bowl like that in Leeds, but we were far better here. We are assessing the conditions and getting accustomed to them, and there are improvements.”

Those improvements will unfortunately not arrive quickly enough to salvage the series, which Pakistan have lost in roughly five days of actual match-play. For now, it is difficult to discern where they will come from in the medium term, but much like the events unfolding around him, that is simply beyond Abbas’s control.

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