File photo of Babar Azam© Twitter
After Pakistan's recent Test series loss against Bangladesh at home, the criticism has been widespread. What is worse is that this is not a one-off loss.Pakistan cricket team has been suffering from poor form for the last few months. Right from the ODI World Cup 2023 to the 2024 T20 World Cup, Pakistan's performance has not been satisfactory. There have been too many changes at the top with Babar Azam being removed as captain only to be reinstated few weeks later as white-ball skipper. Now, according to a report in Cricket Pakistan, Babar Azam may be sacked yet again and Mohammad Rizwan will be made the white-ball captain.
The report also claimed that Rizwan cane become the captain in all three formats.
The cricket-mad nation was left in despair after losing the second Test in Rawalpindi by six wickets on Tuesday as Bangladesh swept the series 2-0. It was the 10th winless home Test in a row for former powerhouses Pakistan and came hard on the heels of failing to get out of their groups at both the 50-over and T20 World Cups in the past year.
"It's a huge setback and our cricket is at a crossroads," former Pakistan captain and legendary fast bowler Wasim Akram told AFP. "For a former player and captain, and a lover of the game, I was left embarrassed at the way they have lost from good positions. I simply don't get it.
"We are losing consistently on home turf and that says a lot about the quality of our cricket," added Akram, who played 104 Tests and 356 one-day internationals for Pakistan.
The defeat to Bangladesh comes hard on the heels of chastening losses against Afghanistan and the USA in the ODI and T20 World Cups respectively. Pakistan also have a dismal record in Tests at home in the past three years -- six defeats and four draws, including England's first-ever 3-0 series sweep there in 2022.
Ominously, in-form England are Pakistan's next visitors and will play three Tests beginning in Multan on October 7. Pakistan are not faring any better away from home, they lost all three Tests in Australia earlier this year -- their sixth successive whitewash there since 1999