'I fear for them' - pundits lament 'desperate times' for Pakistan

Former England captain Michael Vaughan says he "really fears" for Pakistan and felt "quite sad" watching their heavy defeat by England in the first Test at Headingley.

Pakistan were thrashed by an innings and 103 runs in the series opener - batting for 85.4 overs across both innings combined.

A side that has produced some of the sport's most fearsome bowlers were also meek with the ball and poor in the field.

"They've been absolutely blown away," Vaughan told BBC Test Match Special. "They've been hammered. I've never seen them look so timid.

"The tactical side wasn't there. The skill level and the class between the sides, Pakistan look a long way short.

"I hope they can find something over the next couple of days.

"They'll get criticised and rightly so, hopefully that will force them to find something."

Pakistan have long been known for their turmoil off the field and their current struggles were perhaps best summed up in the post-match news conference.

Stand-in skipper Salman Agha laughed he is "more than happy" to hand the captaincy back to Babar Azam for the second Test, which starts at Lord's on Thursday.

A decade ago they were top of the Test rankings while iconic teams in the late 1980s and 1990s, featuring all-time greats such as Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, won three Test series in a row in England.

Now they are bottom of the World Test Championship, have lost five of their past six Tests and 14 defeats from 19 Tests going back to December 2023.

Former captain Ramiz Raja told TMS he "fears the worst".

"The first pillar has fallen, and that's the fans, they are disenchanted, they aren't going to back this team and who would?" Raja said.

"If you lose 17 Test matches in the last 20 you've played nobody's going to back this team."

Vaughan added: "I look at this side and feel quite sad watching them this week.

"I've seen many Pakistan sides play and this side just seem to be lacking all that spirit and fight we've come accustomed to seeing."

Babar, who missed this Test with a hand injury, is the only Pakistan batter in the top 25 of the International Cricket Council's Test batting rankings.

Their bowling attack is without the likes of Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, who have impressed at times in Tests but have often been used in shorter formats or struggled for form and fitness.

Four of their five victories since 2023 have come at home, where spinning pitches have often been prioritised in pursuit of wins.

Industrial fans, heaters and windbreaks were used to prepare a pitch during the series win over England in 2024.

"You try to produce a one-dimensional team that can only win on select surfaces," Raja said.

"You've discouraged pace bowling and because so many players want to play T20 cricket because it's a route to success, they're just not bothered about playing Test-match cricket.

"These are desperate times for Pakistan cricket to make a comeback through pace.

"It's always been our thing, if you discourage the DNA that completes us, what's the point in then playing Test cricket?"

Salman played down the worries around the future, instead suggesting this is a team undergoing a "rebuild".

Their top seven have each played at least 24 Tests - Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique and Saud Shakeel have also all played for Yorkshire - but only Muhammad Abbas in their bowling attack had played a Test in England before.

"We are a rebuild kind of team," Salman said. "It is not about worrying about the future. It is about making a future."

He added: "We didn't execute our plans at Headingley, but that doesn't mean we can't do the same in the next matches.

"We will sit down and think about the performance. And we will come back for sure."

Babar is expected to be fit to return at Lord's while Ubaid Shah, the younger brother of Naseem who can bowl greater pace than Abbas, Mohammad Ali and Khurram Shazad, is a candidate to come in.

Raja suggested there are further troubles below the Test team.

"The batting is below par, even at the Under-19 level and the Under-17 level.

"The bowling, yes, they've got two or three quicks [but] they aren't being exposed to this type of cricket. In the field they are still brittle."