Azhar Ali: Pakistan Cricket Needs Years, Not Quick Fixes, as England Whitewash Looms
Former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali has warned that Pakistani cricket "cannot change in a year" and needs sustained care and vision to arrest a decline that has left the national team rooted to the bottom of the World Test Championship for the second cycle running. Speaking in a Guardian interview published on September 7, 2026, the 97-Test veteran said the situation was draining the appetite of a cricket-mad nation. Pakistan have lost 15 of their past 20 Test matches. They have, in Azhar's words, become "totally consistent in the most negative way" — no longer even managing the wild inconsistency that once defined them.
The timing is bleak. Pakistan are mid-tour in England, trailing 2-0 in a three-Test series after defeats at Headingley and Lord's. England won the first Test by an innings and 103 runs, then clinched the series at Lord's by 194 runs inside four days. Jofra Archer took three wickets for 26 in Pakistan's first innings at Lord's, where they were bowled out for 110 and never recovered. A third Test is scheduled for Birmingham from September 9, but Azhar said he would be "very surprised" if it proved a contest. Aaqib Javed, Pakistan's high performance director since 2024, was behind the decision to change plans after going 2-0 down, though Azhar's remarks suggest he sees the rot as deeper than any mid-series tactical shift can address.
Azhar also took aim at opener Imam-ul-Haq, who did not bat in either innings at Lord's after a minor calf strain. "He should have batted even at No 11," Azhar said — referring to the last batting position in the order, usually reserved for the least capable batters — arguing that pulling on the pads in a losing cause is exactly when a player's character shows.
The roots of the decline, in Azhar's view, stretch back through Pakistan's domestic structure. He blamed the winding-down of departmental cricket — the old system where government and corporate employers ran teams and paid players salaries — for hollowing out the talent pipeline. Reducing the number of domestic teams without replacing that financial safety net has pushed young cricketers to leave Pakistan altogether, he said, weakening the system that feeds the national side. He made similar points in an earlier interview in August, arguing that desire to play was never the problem; opportunity was.
For all the blunt criticism, Azhar expressed sympathy for current captain Babar Azam, inheriting a side low on confidence and thinner on first-class cricket experience than any Pakistan team in recent memory. Joe Root, meanwhile, began his second stint as England captain in the opening Test at Headingley and has watched his side dominate across formats.
For Pakistan fans, the numbers tell a story of systemic drift rather than a single bad tour. A team that once produced fast bowlers and fearless batters from a sprawling, messy domestic set-up now struggles to fill the gaps that restructuring has opened. Azhar's message is simple: a nation that lives and breathes cricket deserves a plan longer than a news cycle.
