Former England captain Nasser Hussain has criticised Pakistan’s recent performances, saying that the team has lost the unpredictability and fighting spirit that once made it a difficult opponent.
The comments came during pre-match analysis on Sky Sports ahead of the second Test at Lord’s, with Hussain discussing Pakistan’s response to their heavy defeat in Leeds.
“I want to see this England line-up just tested a bit more. And I want to see a bit more from Pakistan. We talk about mercurial Pakistan. They’re not mercurial anymore.”
Hussain questioned Pakistan’s ability to recover from difficult situations and pointed to comments from Babar Azam about the team’s ability to fight back.
“What we saw at Leeds is where they’re at. Babar has spoken in the press conference, ‘We do fight back.’ They don’t fight back anymore.”
He also turned his attention to the Pakistan-India rivalry, arguing that recent meetings have failed to produce the closely contested matches associated with the fixture in the past.
“We hype up Pakistan-India fixtures in the ICC. It’s a great fixture. They’re not great fixtures anymore. They’re very one-sided fixtures.”
Hussain also highlighted Pakistan’s struggles away from home and said the team needs something to rebuild its confidence.
“Pakistan don’t travel well, so they need something to galvanise.”
His strongest criticism focused on Pakistan’s performance in the opening Test at Headingley, where England dominated from the start and secured a three-day victory.
“That was such an un-Pakistan-type performance last week. No pace, no risk in, no flair with the bat, no passion, and they got what they deserved, to be honest.”
Despite his harsh assessment, Hussain said he wants to see Pakistan improve during the second Test.
“My actual hope this week is for Pakistan cricket to improve and show signs of improvement.”
Hussain’s criticism follows similar comments from other figures in the English cricketing media. The Telegraph questioned the quality of Pakistan’s current side, while former England captain Michael Vaughan described them as “the weakest team to have ever toured England”.
Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad also offered a blunt assessment before the series, describing Pakistan as a “poor side”.
Pakistan suffered a heavy defeat in the first Test at Headingley, losing by an innings and 103 runs. England scored 409 in their only innings after Pakistan made 171 in the first innings, before the visitors were dismissed for 135 in their second.
The result gave England a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
The second Test at Lord’s is scheduled for August 27 to 31, but rain delayed the toss and the start of play on Thursday.
