Pakistan endured a disappointing 3-0 defeat in the ODI series against England, losing the final match on Tuesday despite putting a strong total of 331/9 on the board. The visitors conceded a defeat with two overs to spare, continuining a series of uninspiring performances which have led to immense scrutiny of the side.
Pakistan lost to a England squad which was arranged merely two days prior to the start of the series. The original squad, which was led by Eoin Morgan, was forced into isolation after three COVID-19 cases were detected in the camp. The makeshift squad, called the England 'B' team by fans and experts alike, was led by Ben Stokes.
England featured with five debutants in the first game of the series.
Justifiably, Pakistan's outings across the three games invited criticism from their former cricketers, with Ramiz Raja saying that the team is "mentally disintegrated."
“An extremely painful and tough day for Pakistan cricket and its fans. The team has been whitewashed by a B-Grade England team. I’m not surprised by the results because it was on the cards. This team got mentally disintegrated. They couldn’t get over the shock of their defeat in the first ODI because the headlines were all over that a B team, which was assembled within two days, has beaten Pakistan," Raja said on his YouTube channel.
“They went under pressure after the loss and hence, committed mistakes. It has become a trend for this Pakistan team. It doesn’t learn from mistakes. Instead, they double it under pressure.”
Raja, who has appeared in 57 Tests and 198 ODIs for Pakistan, called upon the team's captain Babar Azam to bring change to the "environment," adding that he needs to take some initiative in team selections and decision-making.
“Babar Azam is a young captain and he would need to change the environment. He needs to understand that he won’t get headlines for scoring 150. It will only happen if the team plays connectively and wins. Unless you take chances, get your skills challenged - how would you become a successful side?" said Raja.
“You saw the Zimbabwe series. It was an ideal opportunity to try the youngsters but that didn’t happen. The same old players played there. Babar needs to change this. Pakistan will face tougher situations in the future and his career itself is shaping up. It all depends on a skipper how he changes the environment of the dressing room and tests the talent in his team.
“It’s time for a change. They need to change their mindset and experiment with new talents. For the sake of Pakistan cricket, think tank needs to make massive changes."
