Pakistan Breaks Silence On ‘Worst’ Test Team In History Jibe: ‘We Are Trying…’

Pakistan stand-in captain Salman Ali Agha reponds to the ‘worst Test team in history’ jibe.

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Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan reacts as he walks back to the pavilion having lost his wicket for 41 runs on day three of the first test match between England and Pakistan at Headingley cricket ground in Leeds, northern England on August 21, 2026. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) /

Pakistan stand-in captain Salman Ali Agha on Saturday (August 22) side-stepped the jibes about his team being the ‘worst’ in the country’s history after their innings-and-103-run defeat against England in the first Test in Leeds. He defended his team by saying that all Asian teams struggle in English conditions, and Pakistan hardly got a week to prepare for the three-Test series.

Pakistan were bowled out for 171 and 135 in the Test, struggling dearly against the moving ball. Former English pacer Stuart Broad opened the can of worms by calling them a ‘poor’ side which should not be too difficult to beat 3-0, and English media pounced on that by labeling them the ‘worst’ in decades.

“People can say anything,” Agha said. “I feel that whenever the Pakistan team comes here, as a matter of fact, any Asian team tends to struggle here. We came here one week ago; it is not as if we arrived one month ago. You cannot adapt to conditions this quickly, but we are trying,” Agha told reporters after the end of the first Test.

While a lack of preparation time for Test series has been a big issue across the world — India, for example, are changing their ways slowly — Pakistan arrived in England 12 days before the first Test and even played (and won) a three-day warm-up fixture.

“We will try to give our best in the next two Tests. Any tour here is challenging because one comes from different conditions. There was definitely a gap between the two teams in this Test, but we have the ability to bounce back if we play to our potential,” Agha, standing in for Babar Azam in this Test, added.

More concerning for Pakistan was conceding 409 runs, despite historically being a team that did well in overseas tours because of its bowling.

“Bowling, batting and fielding – England outplayed us,” Agha said. “We were not consistent enough in any department. In England, consistency is important because there is lateral movement here, so you must be focused at all times. That was missing. And we think that missing consistency is what resulted in this performance,” he added.

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Pakistan’s stand-in captain, Salman Ali Agha, stated that the team will try to perform their best in the next two Tests, acknowledging a gap between the teams in the first Test but believing they have the ability to bounce back.

Asian teams, including Pakistan, often struggle in English conditions and typically have limited preparation time, sometimes as little as a week, before Test series there.

To adapt to overseas tours, Pakistan could focus on improving player fitness, address their long-standing issue with opening partnerships in England, and prepare Test pitches at home that favour pace rather than spin.

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Original source: https://www.news18.com/cricket/