As a pillar of the Pakistan team that climbed from the nadir of the Lord’s spot-fixing scandal in 2010 to the top of the Test rankings six years later, all while playing overseas for security reasons, Azhar Ali knows a bit about overcoming a crisis.
But for all that Misbah-ul-Haq’s side offered hope back then – a reminder of Pakistan’s innate ability to overcome hardship and defy expectations – Azhar is currently looking on in despair at the state of their cricket and a tour of England that has pretty much imploded this past week.
As a recap, the two thrashings at Headingley and Lord’s resulted in seven players being thrown out of Pakistan’s touring party on Monday and the head coach, Sarfaraz Ahmed, moved aside. When a livewire like Shahid Afridi calls it “the most shocking decision ever” you know things are pretty wild. Even the typically more level-headed Misbah has since resigned as a selector in protest at the madness.
“People used to say you could expect anything from Pakistan – that any team could turn up on any given day and either be 46 all out or win from nowhere,” says Azhar, a veteran of 97 Tests, the scorer of 19 Test hundreds including a triple, and a past favourite at both Somerset and Worcestershire. “But we don’t even do that inconsistency any more. We’ve become totally consistent – in the most negative way.
“Cricket in Pakistan needs proper care and a vision that gives hope to a nation on the brink of losing their appetite. If we don’t pull our socks up, we won’t be able to bring people back. You cannot lose hope but the signs are not good.”
As Azhar points out, Pakistan’s troubles go beyond this mass ejection of players and staff, with the team bottom of the World Test Championship for the second cycle running and having lost 15 of their past 20 matches. The backdrop is a period of huge instability and knee-jerk calls, leading to a revolving door of coaches, selectors and captains, plus a domestic system that changes radically every year.
Azhar, himself the Test captain for a time, has sympathy for Babar Azam’s plight as the captain still trying to lead, as well as the players who have either been unceremoniously dumped or parachuted in before next week’s third Test. “You can tell from their body language things are not good,” he says. “I would be very surprised if the final Test is a contest.”
There is also a dab of criticism towards Imam-ul-Haq, who did not bat in either innings at Lord’s after a minor calf strain on day one. “Some players are tough, others a little soft. He should have batted, even at No 11,” says Azhar.
But the 41-year-old’s main issue beyond a misfiring side is the blame culture that has seemingly emerged above it – and in particular, how Aaqib Javed, high performance director since 2024 and behind the decision to rip up the plans at 2-0 down, has this week distanced himself from the leadership on tour.
“We have had bad decisions like these for three years now,” says Azhar. “He should take responsibility for performances. His judgment should be questioned. I listened to his interview this week and he was trying to put the blame on Sarfaraz and Babar. He appointed them just a few months earlier!
“That was enough for me to judge someone. Every decision he makes backfires and he then says: ‘It’s not me.’ Look at yourself first. And if you cannot control this team, if you cannot make a difference to Pakistan cricket, then step away.”
Azhar briefly passed through the maelstrom himself, having spent 12 months as Pakistan’s head of youth development before stepping down last year. His role, he says, became untenable once Sarfaraz came into the set-up and key decisions around the under-19s team started to be made without consultation.
At peace with that decision, Azhar wonders whether Babar will be pondering his own, just two months into this second crack at captaincy. Once considered a talent to potentially turn the Big Four of Steve Smith, Joe Root, Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson into a Big Five, Babar is nearly four years without a Test century and was twisted into a pretzel by a Jofra Archer thunderbolt at Lord’s.
after newsletter promotion
“It is probably the worst time to captain Pakistan right now,” says Azhar. “He has to consider his options too, I believe. Every player goes through periods of low scores but as a nation we just kept expecting him to deliver and criticism followed. It has played on his mind and he has doubted himself, while lacking any internal support.
“I don’t think he is as mentally strong as Misbah or, say, Younis Khan. Misbah was not as talented as Babar but he was far tougher. Younis faced criticism but never lost his targets. Everyone is different though. We have to realise that and create an environment where he can flourish, not be pulled back.”
More broadly, Azhar’s chief plea to the Pakistan Cricket Board – heavily politicised though it is – is to create a settled domestic structure, invest heavily in pathway coaching and pay the top players more money to sharpen their focus. Fast bowling in particular – a Pakistani tradition that has made way for a diet of military medium – must be more incentivised.
“We have to ask why the fast bowlers are not coming through,” he says. “Look at Bangladesh. They were not content with just spin at home, they wanted to grow as a cricketing nation and produced a group of fast bowlers who have just won a Test match in Australia. You can’t just hope it happens, which is what the attitude feels like in Pakistan these days.
“How do you develop bowlers who will bend their back all day with 25 overs bowling 140kph? There is also the challenge of T20 leagues. Players are not fools. They can see the money you can earn in a month and will ask themselves why they should dedicate themselves year-round to Test cricket.
“So you have to create an environment that encourages and inspires the players, where they believe they can get better and not simply do just enough. You have to find that special something inside them, and pay them highly. All nations can find white-ball bowlers. Red-ball fast bowlers are the real gold dust.
“We need a settled structure and one where people are hired and backed for three-to-four years. Right now the under-19s, for example, are leaderless. But that role is arguably more important than the head coach of the senior side.
“We know where this Test team is currently and have to accept that. But major work done by competent people in the pathway – that is how we come back. It’s not about quick fixes. We cannot change in the space of a year. That’s impossible. But four to five? I believe the talent is there to make it happen.”
Given the history of Pakistan, and for the sake of the future health of Test cricket, here is hoping.