Mohammad Abbas admits Pakistan are struggling in all three departments after England seal 2-0 series lead at Lord’s

LONDON: Pakistan’s Test cricket struggles have deepened after a heavy 194-run defeat to England at Lord’s, extending a worrying run of results away from home and leaving the team at the bottom of the ICC World Test Championship standings.

Once regarded as a formidable Asian Test side capable of challenging opponents in their own conditions, Pakistan enjoyed particularly strong success in England during the late 1980s and 1990s. However, that reputation has faded in recent years as the team has struggled to produce consistent performances in Test cricket, both at home and overseas.

The defeat at Lord’s was Pakistan’s 10th loss in their last 11 away Tests, underlining the scale of the team’s current difficulties.

The result, following an innings-and-103-run defeat in the opening Test at Headingley, gave England an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series and pushed Pakistan further down the World Test Championship table.

Abbas admits Pakistan’s struggles

Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas acknowledged that the team was fully aware of its problems and admitted that performances had fallen short across all three departments.

“Our performance is a concern for everyone. Everyone is worried, including selection committee and the NCA. We’re not doing well, we accept that,” Abbas said after the Lord’s Test.

“We’re not batting, bowling or fielding well and we discuss this all the time in meetings. We’re all working on it, and we need to be, too.”

Fielding proves costly

Abbas identified Pakistan’s fielding as one of the major areas requiring improvement, particularly after missed opportunities allowed England’s key batters to make significant contributions.

“We dropped catches, and their key players scored 70-odd extra runs. That’s where the match changed because we could have bowled them out for 200. It’s disappointing,” he said.

The missed chances proved particularly damaging as Pakistan were unable to capitalise on opportunities to restrict England’s total before facing a daunting target.

Abbas delivers despite team defeat

While Pakistan struggled collectively, Abbas produced one of the standout individual performances of the Test.

The experienced seamer claimed nine wickets, including his first five-wicket haul at Lord’s, but his efforts were ultimately unable to prevent another Pakistan defeat.

Abbas said individual performances mattered to him primarily when they contributed to a team victory.

“Individual performances are important, but I try to perform to help the team win. It’s been many matches that I’ve been performing, but the team hasn’t won,” he said.

Lack of experience a concern

Abbas also pointed to the relative inexperience of Pakistan’s bowling attack as another challenge facing the team.

The pacer said adapting to different conditions was difficult for young bowlers and stressed the importance of experience in Test cricket.

“In Bangladesh, we had a different bowling combination to here. We won a Test in the West Indies. The guys are adjusting, but experience is very important in Test cricket,” Abbas said.

Mohammad Ali and Khurram Shahzad have played eight and 10 Tests respectively, but both remain relatively inexperienced at international level, particularly when it comes to operating in a variety of overseas conditions.

“I’ve played 32 Test matches, but the fast bowlers playing with me are very new to Test cricket. But everybody is trying to improve,” Abbas added.

Pakistan seek redemption at Edgbaston

Pakistan now have an opportunity to end their difficult tour on a positive note when they face England in the third and final Test at Edgbaston.

The match, scheduled for September 9-13, will not affect the series result, but Pakistan will be seeking a consolation victory and valuable World Test Championship points.

With growing concerns over batting, bowling and fielding, Pakistan will need a significantly improved all-round performance to halt their alarming away record and begin rebuilding confidence in the longest format.

England vs Pakistan Test series schedule

Test	Date	Venue	Result
First Test	August 19-23	Headingley	England won by an innings and 103 runs
Second Test	August 27-31	Lord’s	England won by 194 runs
Third Test	September 9-13	Edgbaston	—