Pakistan Cricket: A Shocking Collapse in Multan
KARACHI: Where do you even begin? What was expected to be an exhilarating contest turned into a disaster as Pakistan managed to snatch defeat not just from victory but from a position where they should have maintained control of the game. Instead, they suffered the humiliation of losing by an innings.
England wins at Multan, innings and 47 runs. It came after Pakistan had managed a compelling 556 for one in the first innings and left cricket buffs stunned for years to come. A gargantuan collapse like this happens only in books-a mythical story which they would not believe when a mate over a cup of tea narrates.
Pakistan cricket is left in shock with even 500+ becoming unwinnable, a score which usually guarantees a healthy lead and at minimum a chance of getting at least a draw. Yes, Pakistan become the first ever test team to lose by innings scoring 556 on the board. Just let this sink in.
Pakistan cricket. despite the fact that scoring over 500 runs would have earned the team the right to term itself competitive, the national team, over time, has made the unthinkable a habit. They have now succumbed for the fifth time while scoring 500 or more runs, a record no team really wants to attain.
The Multan Test was like a slowmotion crash, lurching memorably into the pantheon of cricketing disasters in Leeds of 2006, Rawalpindi 2022, the Oval forfeiture of 2006, and even of yore, at Melbourne of 1972, when the Green Shirts declared at 574-8 and still lost.
But more than all those, the defeat in Multan is its own category and will probably have fans shrieking nightmares for many years to come.
Pakistan cricket was in league with a different beast altogether when Brendon McCullum’s rise changed the impossible into a spectacle that earned the visitors a standing ovation. Having allowed England to score 556 runs in the first innings, England went on to bowl out Pakistan not once but twice with grand ease. It’s simply unbelievable to achieve this feat.
Pakistan Cricket: A Historic Collapse in Multan
Pakistan cricket witnessed an historic collapse during the Multan Test, in which England made the 556 runs appear like a mere speed bump on their way to an astonishing 823-run total, one that resulted in the highest ever conceded by Pakistan in Test history.
The Pakistani bowlers generally had a torrid time, as six of them went past 100 runs. That’s such a rare thing to happen in Test cricket history; the previous time this happened was when Zimbabwean bowlers proved so generous to Sri Lanka.
The only consolation Pakistan could take was when a total of 150 overs were bowled, it was seen that Shaheen Afridi has got one maiden over-the only one bowled in the innings; this is the lowest number of maiden overs in the history of Test cricket as well if a team that has batted for at least 90 overs is concerned; and this record also holds true if each over had delivered eight balls or more.
Indeed, with this defeat, England reached 823-the largest it has ever notched on Pakistani soil-past even the home team’s record scored at this venue in a match against Sri Lanka nine years ago.
To add insult to injury for Pakistan, this defeats give the team its sixth defeat in a row in Test cricket, which equalizes their longest losing streak. Since 2022, the team has just been on the decline; winning only three games out of eighteen. Pakistan cricket
Pakistan Cricket: A Nation in Decline
Pakistan cricket faces a dismal reality at home. The national side was unable to win any of the last 11 matches—at their worst since the early 1970s, and lost there too. It is reported that this once proud cricketing nation is crumbling as statistics reveal that the Men in Green are at the bottom of the win charts and are really below those of Zimbabwe and Afghanistan.
This hurts, and the situation should resonate deeply with fans. Under the captaincy of Shan Masood, it has grown even more disheartening as he has six losses in six matches to his name. That puts him in a rather “elite” category of captains who have started their tenures so shabbily. Only five players have managed this dubious distinction, and Masood is the second non-Bangla or the second after Zimbabwean Graeme Cremer.
In the mean time, Babar Azam, once the darling of Pakistani cricket, turns out to be fairly persona non grata, at least on the scoreboard. He has been in a struggle for a long time. His last 18 innings have brought in no half-century. Most fans might have forgotten when he last enjoyed scoring a milestone Test innings.
The opening pair Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub has managed an average of a pitiful 2.87 runs. This is the lowest in Test history for an opening partnership with at least eight innings. Four of their eight partnerships ended in ducks, which is a nightmare to watch-somewhat like watching a sinking ship. It starts hitting against its wall and then all over again collapses.
England, on the other hand, with Brendon McCullum at the helm is doing beautifully, proving that this is not the third successive win even when they were losing by more than 550 runs. It’s like they have forgotten how to lose. As for Pakistan, that is the same old story.
Even when they appear to be in control, chaos always seems to follow. Multan Test was not a loss among others but a cry for help. This isn’t just a bad run of form; it is a culmination of years of decline. And if things can’t get worse, they might. sports
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