2022 will go down in history as one of the worst years for Pakistan’s Test cricket. The Babar Azam-led side has played eight Test matches, so far, this year and has only been successful in one.
The worst came this month when they got whitewashed in the three-match Test series against England, which shattered several long-standing records, including the one for losing four straight games in Pakistan.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the team both received harsh criticism for the loss, but the absence of the star pacers was used as a justification because the current fast bowling unit fell short of expectations.
Only Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel performed admirably, finishing the series as the third and fourth leading run-scorers, with 348 and 346 runs, respectively. The remaining batting unit struggled throughout the series.
Abdullah Shafique, who was in excellent form earlier this year, struggled against England’s bowlers, scoring 213 runs in six innings despite scoring a fighting 114 in the first match.
Agha Salman, who began his Test career earlier this year, failed to impress, scoring 184 runs in six innings, including two fifties with the highest score of 56.
Mohammad Rizwan was expected to regain his form in the series but failed to make up for a poor showing in white-ball cricket earlier in the season, scoring 141 runs in six innings, with the highest score of 46.
Azhar Ali, the most experienced batter in the team, had a poor series as well, scoring 112 runs in four innings, which also potentially forced him to retire before completing his hundredth Test match. Let’s have a look at the numbers:
| Batter | Innings | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s |
| Abdullah Shafique | 6 | 213 | 35.50 | 1 | 0 |
| Agha Salman | 6 | 184 | 36.80 | 0 | 2 |
| Mohammad Rizwan | 6 | 141 | 23.50 | 0 | 0 |
| Azhar Ali | 4 | 112 | 28.00 | 0 | 0 |
Bowling was one of the major factors that put Pakistan on the back foot, as Shaheen was ruled out well before the series, and Naseem and Haris missed the second and third games, respectively, due to injuries.
Abrar Ahmad was the only bowler who performed well in the series. The mystery spinner remained the top wicket-taker in the series, taking 17 wickets in just two games. Later, questions were raised as to why he was not picked for the first Test in Rawalpindi.
Zahid Mahmood, who played in two matches, took 12 wickets in the series but did not play the role that other Pakistani spinners had in the past, especially in home conditions.
Another debutant, Mohammad Ali, took four wickets in the first two games but conceded lots of runs in the first Test in Pindi. He, along with Haris Rauf, allowed the visitors to score record-breaking runs.
Faheem Ashraf, who was selected for the last match in Karachi, also struggled with the bat and the ball, scoring 37 runs without taking any wickets. Here’s how the series went for Pakistani bowlers:
| Bowler | Innings | Wickets | Average |
| Abrar Ahmad | 4 | 17 | 27.17 |
| Zahid Mahmood | 4 | 12 | 36.16 |
| Naseem Shah | 2 | 5 | 41.20 |
| Nauman Ali | 2 | 4 | 41.00 |
| Mohammad Ali | 2 | 4 | 65.25 |
Pakistan will play New Zealand in a two-match Test series, beginning on December 26, and everyone will need to perform well to break out of this rut. Relying on one or two players will further lower the team’s morale.
