Poor results, instability, chaos: What’s wrong with Pakistan cricket?

A first-ever Test series loss to Bangladesh, a revolving door captaincy policy, no ICC title in seven years. Why has Pakistan cricket fallen into a downward spiral?

Under grey skies at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, veteran Bangladesh cricketer Shakib Al Hasan smashed Pakistani leg-spin bowler Abrar Ahmed for a boundary that sealed his team’s six-wicket win in the second Test match and a historic first men’s Test series win over the home side.

Shakib punched the air and embraced his teammate Mushfiqur Rahim as the rest of their teammates rushed onto the ground to join in the celebrations on Tuesday afternoon. Before the series, Bangladesh had lost 12 of the 13 matches between the two sides.

As Pakistan captain Shan Masood and his side trudged off the ground, the dark clouds reflected the doom and gloom surrounding Pakistan cricket. The men’s side had just been clean-swept in a home Test series for only the second time in their history.

Pakistan have not won a Test match at home since February 2021 – a winless streak of 10 games.

Historically, Pakistan may have been one of cricket’s powerhouses, but their recent performances have nosedived across all formats of the game. The triumphant runs at the ICC Men’s 50-over World Cup in 1992 and the T20 World Cup in 2009 are a distant memory.

Be it defeats against lower-ranked sides in bilateral series or shock results in global events, Pakistani cricket fans have seen it all in recent years.

Pakistan’s last notable performance came in November 2022 at the T20 World Cup in Australia, where they eventually lost a one-sided final against England.

Pakistan failed to go beyond the first round at the T20 World Cup 2024 when they infamously lost to cricket novices the United States,