Pakistan’s top-order batting unit faced a historic struggle during their recent three-match
The sequence of failures reached a nadir during the third Test at Edgbaston, where the opening duo failed to trouble the scorers in the second innings, departing for a duck. This performance mirrored the struggles seen throughout the tour, where the side failed to produce a single double-digit opening stand in any of the six innings played.
A series defined by instability at the top
The team management experimented with three different opening combinations throughout the series in an attempt to find a solution, yet none of the pairings could establish a foundation. Azan Awais, who featured in all three matches, stood as the only opener to show any semblance of consistency, accumulating 129 runs across his six innings at an average of 21.50.
Despite Awais's efforts, his partners struggled significantly. Imam-ul-Haq recorded scores of 42 and 0, while Shan Masood contributed 1 and 26. Saim Ayub, who was brought in for the final Test, failed to score in either of his two innings. The lack of support for Awais meant that the middle order was consistently exposed to the new ball early in the innings, placing immense pressure on the rest of the batting lineup.
Edgbaston collapse compounds series woes
The issues at the top of the order were symptomatic of a broader batting decline during the third Test at Edgbaston. In a rare and difficult display, Pakistan’s top five batters were all dismissed for single-digit scores during the first innings, resulting in a total of just 133 runs. This occurrence marked the first time a visiting team had lost their top five wickets for single-digit scores in the first innings of a Test match on English soil.
This series aggregate of 20 runs stands as Pakistan's lowest for an
