Pakistan's batting woes in England have become so severe that former England captain Michael Vaughan believes the team is struggling to meet even the basic standards expected of a Test side. Following yet another collapse at Lord's, Vaughan likened Pakistan's batting lineup to a second-division county team.
Pakistan were dismissed for only 110 in their first innings of the second Test, compounding the disappointment of their innings-and-53-run loss in the opening match. Speaking on BBC Test Match Special, Vaughan questioned whether Pakistan's batters were capable of putting England's bowlers under any meaningful pressure.
“But this is Pakistan batting. Is it second division county cricket? There's no way that they are batting in any standard to say that, that is a Test match batting lineup,” Vaughan said.
His assessment came after Pakistan's top order once again failed to withstand England's attack. Babar Azam, returning after an injury, managed just eight runs, while Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood and Mohammad Rizwan also fell for single-digit scores.
Azan Awais provided the most resistance with 46, but Pakistan's low total handed England a commanding advantage and allowed their bowlers to maintain relentless pressure.
WHY VAUGHAN COMPARED PAKISTAN TO COUNTY CRICKET
Vaughan's criticism was aimed primarily at Pakistan's lack of batting resistance rather than England's bowling, which he praised for its quality and consistency.
“You're not going to get hurt. There's no batter that's going to hurt them. No one's going to damage their figures, and it's really, 'roll up, roll up, who wants to get the wickets?'” he said.
According to Vaughan, England's bowlers can attack aggressively because Pakistan's batting has shown little ability to punish them for taking risks.
“I think they all know that Pakistan aren't going to get big scores. So you're only going to be out there for 40 to 50 overs, so you give everything in every spell, you keep going to Joe Root saying, 'Err, I'll bowl another one.' There are so many wickets out there,” he said.
Vaughan also suggested that England's bowling attack could pose a serious challenge to much stronger batting teams if it continues performing at its current level.
“It's so easy. They're still doing a good job, and they're still looking very threatening. And I think this bowling attack, the way they're bowling, will challenge better batting lineups if they continue in this fashion,” he added.
PAKISTAN'S TROUBLED ENGLAND TOUR
The batting failures are just one aspect of a turbulent tour for Pakistan. The Lord's Test has also been overshadowed by controversy surrounding a Sky Sports interview with Kasim and Sulaiman Khan, the sons of former Pakistan captain and Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The Pakistan Cricket Board reportedly threatened to pull the team out of the Test and possibly the rest of the tour if Sky Sports broadcast the interview, which focused on Imran Khan's health and conditions in prison. The interview was eventually aired, while Pakistan continued with the match.
Pakistan head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed later said that neither he nor his players were aware of the reported threat and maintained that their attention remained on cricket.
The action on the field has provided little encouragement either. England ended the second day at 81/3 in their second innings, stretching their overall lead to 261 runs. Pakistan are already 1-0 behind in the three-match series and face a major challenge to avoid another defeat at Lord's.
England's dominant bowling and Pakistan's fragile batting have consequently emerged as the defining features of the tour, making Vaughan's comparison with second-division county cricket particularly scathing.
