Multan Test blunder — A reflection of all that is wrong with Pakistan cricket

KARACHI: Well, where do you start? In what was supposed to be a gripping contest, Pakistan have managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of not victory, but from a respectable position — where one would've expected them to keep control of the game, or at least avoid the humiliation of a defeat by an innings.

England's Multan triumph, by an innings and 47 runs, after Pakistan posted a mammoth 556 in their first innings, will leave cricket fans scratching their heads for years to come.

It was a monumental meltdown, it was one such fictional story that you share with your friends at a gathering over tea, and they wouldn't believe you.

Imagine this, you score over 500 runs, you're supposed to be in a comfortable position, sailing through smoothly to at least a draw, if not victory. But no, not if you're the Pakistani team who have now registered their name into a rather embarrassing part of history by becoming the first team to lose by an innings after putting up 556 in their first innings — let that sink in.

In a game where 500-plus runs should at least give you a pass to stay competitive, the national side somehow managed to make a habit of doing the unthinkable. This was the fifth time they've lost after posting 500 or more, a record no one wants to claim.

The Multan Test was a slow-motion crash that brought back memories of similar cricketing disasters — Leeds 2006, Rawalpindi 2022, the Oval forfeiture in 2006, and yes Melbourne 1972, where the Green Shirts declared at 574-8 and still found a way to lose.

However, the Multan defeat holds on its own and will haunt me for a while.

England, on the other hand, under Brendon McCullum, seem to be turning the impossible into an entertaining performance to receive a standing ovation. Though conceding 556 in the first innings, the visitors then casually bowled out Pakistan for a second time, well, that's just unbelievable.

During the Multan Test, the English side made Pakistan's 556 look like a mere speed bump and came up with a mammoth 823-run total — the highest ever conceded by Pakistan in Test cricket.

The bowlers, bless them, were all over the place. Six of them leaked over 100 runs each, a feat that's only happened second time in Test history.

The last bowling unit to display such generosity to batters was Zimbabwe's in their match against Sri Lanka.

If there was a silver lining, it was Shaheen Afridi's single maiden over — a small victory, in a sea of woes as it was the only maiden over in innings that spanned 150 overs.

It was also the least number of maiden overs bowled when a team has batted for at least 90 overs — including when there were eight deliveries per over.

The records continued to tumble, one after the other as England's 823-run total was the biggest ever posted on Pakistani soil and surpassed even the home side's 765 runs against Sri Lanka back in 2009.

Well, also adding to Pakistan's woes is the fact that this was their sixth consecutive defeat in Test cricket, matching their longest losing streak. It’s been a downhill spiral since 2022, with only three wins out of 18 matches. 

At home, it's even worse — as the national side has no wins in their last 11 matches which is essentially their longest drought at home since the early 70s. This proud cricketing nation is crumbling, and the stats don't lie as the Men in Green are currently rubbing shoulders with Zimbabwe and Afghanistan at the bottom of the win charts.

Well that hurts, and it should sting every Pakistan cricket fan as well.

Under Shan Masood's captaincy, the story gets even more depressing with six losses in six matches making him a part of an "elite" group of captains who started their tenure with six straight defeats.

The left-handed batter is only the fifth member of this club and only the second non-Bangladeshi after Zimbabwean Graeme Cremer.

And, what to say about Babar Azam? Once the blue-eyed boy of Pakistani cricket is quickly turning into a persona non grata, at least for the scoreboard. The former skipper has been struggling too, and for a very, very long time without a 50 in 18 innings. Many may have forgotten the last time he raised his bat to celebrate a milestone in Test cricket.

The opening pair of Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub have an average of 2.87 runs — the lowest average in Test history for an opening partnership with at least eight innings. Four of their eight stands have ended in ducks. It's like watching a sinking ship, one collapse after another.

Meanwhile, England are thriving. This was their third win since McCullum took charge where they’ve conceded 550-plus runs. It's like they don't know how to lose anymore. For Pakistan, however, it's the same old story.

Even when they look in control, they find a way to chaos. The Multan Test wasn't just a loss, it was a cry for help. This isn't just a bad run of form; it's the culmination of years of decline. And if you think it couldn't get worse, well, it just might.