Pakistan’s 154th Test defeat at Lord’s was a historic low: they now have 154 losses against 153 wins, taking their win-loss ratio below 1 for the first time in 40 years.
The decline has been building for years: since 2007, Pakistan have had 12 losing years out of 19, including eight since 2016.
Pakistan’s batting has been a major weakness: since 2022, they have been bowled out below 250 in 29 of 32 Tests and below 200 on 17 occasions.
The England tour has exposed the depth of the problem: Pakistan are yet to score 200 in four innings on the tour and have already lost the three-Test series 2-0.
The Numbers Behind Pakistan’s Test Collapse: A Giant Slipping Into Irrelevance
The Lord’s defeat left Pakistan with 154 Test losses against 153 wins, while their batting and pace bowling numbers reveal a wider decline. Since 2022, Pakistan have been bowled out below 250 in 29 of 32 Tests and have yet to cross 200 in four innings in England.
Summary
A lot has happened on the England tour for the Pakistan cricket team. They turn towards the third Test at Edgbaston with almost half of its original squad, along with coach Sarfaraz Khan and Umar Gul, axed by the PCB.
Pakistan has already lost the three-match Test series as England successfully beat them in the first two matches, securing an unassailable 2-0 lead. Pakistan's defeat in the second match at Lord's had more statistical significance than the first one.
Pakistan has now lost 154 Test matches, one more than they have won. Their win-loss ratio has tumbled down to 0.933. It is the first time in the last 40 years that Pakistan's win-loss ratio has sunk below one. Before Lord's, Pakistan was one of the few teams to win more Tests than they have lost.
| Team | Win-Loss ratio | Tests | Won | Lost |
| Australia | 1.809 | 884 | 427 | 236 |
| England | 1.211 | 1,099 | 407 | 336 |
| South Africa | 1.179 | 479 | 191 | 162 |
| India | 0.994 | 601 | 187 | 188 |
| Pakistan | 0.993 | 473 | 153 | 154 |
| West Indies | 0.834 | 596 | 187 | 224 |
| Sri Lanka | 0.829 | 331 | 107 | 129 |
| New Zealand | 0.663 | 487 | 126 | 190 |
| Bangladesh | 0.245 | 161 | 28 | 114 |
| Zimbabwe | 0.19 | 130 | 16 | 84 |
A Slippery Slope
Pakistan's Test decline is not sudden. They have been doing badly in red-ball cricket for a while now. Since 2007, there have been 12 years out of 19 where the team has lost more Tests than they have won. Since 2016, the record is more pitiable, as they have recorded eight such years.
Batter Leads The Decline
Since the start of 2022, Pakistan has played a total of 32 Tests, getting bundled out for under 250 on 29 occasions. Seventeen times they have been bowled out for sub-200 Totals. In England, the team is yet to score a 200+ total in four innings.
None of the current Pakistan batters has an average above 50 since 2022. Their best batter during the period is Saud Shakeel, scoring 1934 runs in 25 Tests with an average of 42.97, followed by Babar Azam's 42.82 average. The current Test captain has scored 2227 runs in 28 Tests.
| Player | Tests | Runs | Average |
| Saud Shakeel | 25 | 1934 | 42.97 |
| Babar Azam | 28 | 2227 | 42.82 |
| Imam-ul-Haq | 20 | 1380 | 39.42 |
| Abdullah Shafique | 25 | 1725 | 39.2 |
| Salman Agha | 28 | 1708 | 36.34 |
| Mohammad Rizwan | 28 | 1710 | 35.62 |
| Shan Masood | 24 | 1448 | 31.47 |
Pakistan's overall team average is below 30, which makes them the fourth-worst batting side during this period, among teams with a minimum of 20 Tests.
| Team | Tests | Runs | Average | SR | 100/50 |
| New Zealand | 36 | 18903 | 32.81 | 56.79 | 42/81 |
| England | 56 | 29671 | 32.04 | 67.58 | 62/125 |
| India | 43 | 21325 | 31.92 | 56.56 | 49/93 |
| Sri Lanka | 32 | 16581 | 31.46 | 55.02 | 35/85 |
| Australia | 47 | 22530 | 31.42 | 55.95 | 42/94 |
| Pakistan | 32 | 16069 | 28.24 | 52.03 | 29/78 |
| South Africa | 33 | 14928 | 28 | 53.14 | 25/54 |
| Bangladesh | 35 | 15609 | 25.67 | 52.29 | 28/70 |
| West Indies | 36 | 14433 | 23.2 | 46.5 | 19/49 |
The Pace Is Not Pacing!
Pakistan cricket has always been known for its fearsome pacers. Turning a few pages will take us to an era when the likes of Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar used to stir fear in the batters.
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| Team | Tests | Wickets | Average | Economy | Strike Rate |
| South Africa | 33 | 368 | 23.78 | 3.36 | 42.3 |
| Australia | 47 | 557 | 23.91 | 3.3 | 43.4 |
| India | 43 | 376 | 27.83 | 3.52 | 47.4 |
| New Zealand | 36 | 460 | 27.45 | 3.33 | 49.4 |
| England | 56 | 726 | 27.51 | 3.31 | 49.8 |
| West Indies | 36 | 423 | 29.72 | 3.55 | 50.2 |
| Sri Lanka | 32 | 225 | 30.67 | 3.54 | 51.8 |
| Bangladesh | 35 | 224 | 34.73 | 3.63 | 57.4 |
| Pakistan | 32 | 239 | 35.53 | 3.59 | 59.3 |
However, the story has flipped now. Pakistan no longer have threatening pacers. Stats confirm this. Since 2022, Pakistan pacers have the worst strike rate and average among teams with a minimum of 30 Tests in this period. Pakistan has taken 239 wickets with an average of 35.53, striking after every 59.3 balls.
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