England tour Pakistan ended, Pakistan lost series

Pakistan was fleecy aside by England in the seventh T20I at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore on Sunday and lost the series 4-3 despite being up 3-2 at one point. Here are our five takeaways from the series.

Cricket assignments closer to the World Cup are strategically placed with the objective of either investigating, fine-tuning, solidifying, or doing a combination of all three. One aspect of this is also to learn new lessons and unlearn old ones.

After sighted Pakistan take on England over a seven-match-long series, it is safe to say that few lessons, if any, have been learned. The doubt on our opening pairing, the question mark on batters’ intent, and the concern about the middle order’s fragility all remain. The England series gave the selectors no clarity, except to perhaps say goodbye to Khushdil Shah (more on him later). As is the case with most major Pakistan defeats over the past few years, it wasn’t about the result. It was about the manner in which the result was achieved.

Perhaps, this team is the antithesis of Fiddy’s philosophy and would rather stay poor and breathing. Perhaps, it doesn’t subscribe to the adage of go down fighting. Perhaps, the team is full of characters unsure of their place on the side and who wish to enhance their ESPNcricinfo profiles, which may not be a bad strategy considering the ‘laptop’ selector in charge.

Pre-World Cup confusion

There is now a bit of history regarding Pakistan’s pre-World Cup assignments proving to be rough and tragic. It appears as if this team is incapable of heading into major tournaments fully prepared or without any question marks.

Prior to the 2019 World Cup, they had suffered a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of England. Before the 2021 World Cup, their preparations were marred by New Zealand ditching them, and now these series defeat to England, which for some reason feels much bigger than it really was (4-3).