HomeAsiaPakistanPakistan’s WTC 2023-25 campaign ends in disaster

Pakistan’s WTC 2023-25 campaign ends in disaster

With just a few wins and many heavy defeats, Pakistan will need to reassess their strategy.

Pakistan’s journey through the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 proved to be a disappointing one, with the team finishing at the bottom of the standings. With high hopes at the start, their campaign was ultimately defined by inconsistency, lack of form, and missed opportunities that left them with a meager 35 points by the end of the cycle. This placed them in 9th place, behind even the weaker sides in the competition, a far cry from their aspirations of securing a top position.

The competition was fiercely contested, with some of the top teams in world cricket dominating the WTC standings. Australia, who emerged as the top-ranked team, ended with 120 points, achieving a win percentage of 70%. India, finishing second, garnered 118 points, with a win percentage of 68%. England, despite some early stumbles, finished in third with 113 points, boasting a 65% win rate. New Zealand, another strong side in the WTC, placed fourth with 112 points and a 64% win rate, while South Africa ended fifth with 105 points, showing a win percentage of 60%. West Indies, struggling through the competition, managed 60 points with a win rate of 38%, finishing sixth. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, although competitive, were unable to keep up with the top teams and ended with 85 and 80 points respectively, reflecting win percentages of 49% and 45%.

The early stages of Pakistan’s WTC campaign began with optimism. They hosted Australia in December 2023, hoping to make a strong start. However, the series ended in a 2-0 defeat for Pakistan, and this loss set the tone for much of their year. Australia, led by Pat Cummins and aided by a powerful pace attack, dominated the two-match series. Pakistan’s batting, anchored by Babar Azam, was exposed by Australia’s disciplined seam bowling. Azam, typically a rock for the team, found himself dismissed cheaply in both innings of the first Test. Imam-ul-Haq, too, struggled against the pace attack, and the rest of the batting lineup failed to find any stability. In the second Test, despite the flat conditions in Karachi, Pakistan’s batting again crumbled, and they were unable to put up a fight against Australia’s strong all-around performance.

Despite their poor start, Pakistan had hope as they traveled to Sri Lanka for a two-match series in February 2024. However, much like their earlier series, Pakistan struggled to cope with the spin-heavy conditions. Sri Lanka’s bowling attack, led by Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis, proved to be too much for Pakistan’s fragile batting lineup. The team’s top-order once again faltered, with Babar Azam unable to convert starts into substantial scores. Pakistan’s efforts in both Tests were subpar, and they were defeated 2-0, further diminishing their hopes of a turnaround in the tournament. Once again, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah failed to make a significant impact on the turning tracks, and Pakistan’s lack of quality spin options was evident.

The remainder of the year did not bring much relief for Pakistan. Their next series was against New Zealand in late 2024, which was expected to be a more winnable encounter on home soil. Pakistan hoped for a fresh start, but their inconsistency remained a problem. New Zealand, despite not being among the top-ranked sides, played a disciplined brand of cricket and took advantage of Pakistan’s weaknesses. In the first Test, New Zealand’s disciplined bowling restricted Pakistan to modest totals, and despite a valiant effort in the second Test, Pakistan could not push for a win, and the series ended in a draw. The third Test saw a similar pattern, as Pakistan’s batting failures led to another drawn result, with New Zealand taking crucial points.

Throughout these series, individual performances from key players were below expectations. Babar Azam, who had been one of the team’s few consistent performers in previous years, finished the campaign with 1,245 runs from 16 matches at an average of 45.9. While these figures were respectable, they were not enough to lift Pakistan out of their slump, especially given that the rest of the batting lineup consistently faltered. Pakistan’s reliance on Azam’s contributions was clear, but even his brilliance could not cover the team’s many deficiencies. The other batsmen, including Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Rizwan, and Abdullah Shafique, failed to establish themselves as consistent contributors.

Pakistan’s bowling, which was once considered their strength, also failed to deliver consistently. Shaheen Shah Afridi, who had been the standout bowler in the previous WTC cycle, ended the 2023-25 campaign with 35 wickets from 12 matches at an average of 30. While he continued to provide Pakistan with key breakthroughs, his efforts were often overshadowed by the inability of the batting side to put up competitive totals. Naseem Shah, another promising pacer, struggled with injuries and was unable to maintain the fitness required to perform consistently at the highest level. Pakistan’s failure to find a reliable spin option further hindered their chances, with the team unable to capitalize on favorable conditions in the subcontinent.

Pakistan’s management also came under scrutiny during the campaign. Many criticized the team’s failure to adapt to changing conditions, particularly their reliance on pacers in conditions that favored spin. The inability to identify and nurture a reliable second spinner left the team exposed in subcontinental conditions, while their fielding also took a dip, with dropped catches and missed opportunities contributing to their downfall.

In contrast to Pakistan’s struggles, the top-ranked teams—Australia, India, and England—dominated the points table with consistent performances. Australia’s win percentage of 70% was a testament to their all-around strength, with key players like Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja, and Steve Smith contributing heavily with the bat, while the pace attack, led by Cummins, continued to perform at an elite level. India, despite some early losses, rallied to finish in second, with their strong spin attack and solid batting order carrying them through crucial matches. England, under the leadership of Ben Stokes, had an aggressive brand of cricket that paid dividends, finishing third with 113 points.

Pakistan’s position at the bottom of the table was a direct reflection of their inability to capitalize on key moments, their reliance on individual brilliance, and their failure to find the right combination of players and tactics. With just 35 points from 16 matches, their win percentage of 20.8% was the lowest of all teams in the competition. This underperformance has raised concerns about Pakistan’s future in Test cricket and the need for an overhaul in both management and player development to avoid further disappointments in the upcoming cycles of the World Test Championship.

In conclusion, Pakistan’s 2023-25 WTC campaign ended in disappointment, with a low finish in the standings and an overall win percentage that highlights the challenges the team faced. Their struggles in key series, combined with a lack of consistent performances from top players and tactical errors, left them at the bottom of the table, with only 35 points to show for their efforts.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Coverpage’s editorial stance.

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