- Pakistan batting dramatically collapsed, scoring only 110 runs at Lord’s.
- Michael Vaughan severely criticised Pakistan’s standard.
- He compared their Test batting to second division county cricket.
Michael Vaughan England vs Pakistan: Pakistan’s batting woes deepened dramatically at Lord’s as they were dismissed for only 110 in the first innings of the second Test against England. After suffering an innings defeat in the series opener, the visitors were hoping for a stronger response, but another collapse has left them facing renewed criticism. The performance quickly became a talking point on social media, while former England captain Michael Vaughan delivered a particularly brutal assessment of Pakistan’s batting during BBC Test Match Special.
Vaughan Questions Pakistan’s Test-Match Standard
Michael Vaughan was left unimpressed by the challenge presented to England’s bowlers, arguing that Pakistan’s batsmen had made life far too comfortable for the hosts.
“I’ll be brutally honest, the England bowlers aren’t being challenged at all, and this Pakistan batting line-up is possibly the easiest batting line-up I’ve seen in a long time to bowl to. And not only that, I think as a bowler, I think they’re all queuing up to bowl because they know there are wickets out there,”
Read More: 51-Year-Old Cricketer Takes Fifer! Breaks 90-Year-Old Record
The former England skipper suggested that England’s attack could cause problems for stronger batting units if it maintained the same level of performance.
“I think this bowling attack, the way they’re bowling, will challenge better batting line-ups if they continue in this fashion, but this is Pakistan batting, is it second division county cricket? There’s no way that they are batting in any standard to say that, that is a Test match batting line-up,”
Pakistan Struggle For Runs At Lord’s
Pakistan’s scorecard offered little evidence to counter Vaughan’s criticism. Azan Awais emerged as the only batsman to provide a substantial contribution, making 46 from 102 deliveries.
Saud Shakeel was the next highest scorer, but his 16 came from just 16 balls. The rest of Pakistan’s batting order failed to reach double figures, highlighting the scale of the collapse.
The innings also meant England’s bowlers were able to maintain relentless pressure without being forced into prolonged spells of resistance from the visitors.
