What's wrong with Pakistan's Test Team?

Misbah-ul-Haq: Lone warrior of Pakistan cricket

I think rather than wondering how Pakistan lost a test match to Zimbabwe, we should be praising Younis Khan for ensuring that Pakistan came out of the series with a 1-1 draw instead of a 2-0 loss, which was sure to happen had Younis not scored a scintillating double hundred.Losing to Zimbabwe, in any form of the game, is embarrassing for a top cricket nation. But losing to them in a Test match is worse than that. The players should find it difficult to show their faces in public. They should find it difficult to speak to the media. They should be at a loss for words. They should feel humiliated.

The upcoming series against South Africa brings this Pakistan Test team to a full circle since Misbah-ul-Haq took over in 2010. Misbah’s first series as Test captain was against South Africa in the UAE in November 2010.

During his first 18 months as Test captain, Pakistan did not lose a single Test series. In fact, in the 15 tests they played between November 2010 and February 2012, Pakistan lost only 1.

Under Misbah, Pakistan’s Test team had an enviable test record – Played 15, won 9, lost 1.

They won the Test series against England, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh and drew against South Africa and West Indies.

The pinnacle during this period was the clean sweep over the number 1 ranked Test nation – England, which helped Pakistan rise to number 4 in the Test rankings. Their highest Test ranking for a decade.

And then suddenly things went horribly wrong.

Since clean sweeping England, Pakistan have not won any Test series. They lost 1-0 to Sri Lanka, were embarrassed 3-0 by South Africa, and humiliated in a 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe, which could have easily been a 2-0 loss.

In the 18 months, since the win over England, Pakistan has played 8 Tests under Misbah, winning only 1 of them, that too against Zimbabwe.

While Misbah’s overall Test record is still pretty good – Played 23, Won 10, Lost 6 – his Win:Loss ratio has gone down from a record 9:1 to 5:3.

So what went wrong? When did Pakistan become such a bad Test team? The same set of players clean swept England. The same set of players helped Pakistan reach number 4 in the Test rankings. So, what has gone wrong?

Pakistan’s Test XI against South Africa in 2010 was Hafeez, Taufeeq, Azhar, Younis, Misbah, Asad, Adnan, Rehman, Gul, Wahab, Ajmal.

Pakistan’s Test XI against Zimbabwe in 2013 was Hafeez, Khurram, Azhar, Younis, Misbah, Asad, Adnan, Rehman, Ajmal, Junaid, Rahat

Besides an opener and two pacers, Pakistan’s Test team is exactly what it was three years ago.

In all the Test series during the past three years, Pakistan has been consistent with its Test team selections. There has been no chopping and changing.

Yet, a winning pattern has changed into a losing one.