Mohammad Abbas Admits Pakistan’s Test Struggles After Lord’s Defeat

Pakistan pacer Mohammed Abbas has acknowledged that the team is going through a difficult phase in Test cricket after their heavy defeat to England at Lord’s.

Pakistan suffered a 194-run loss in the second Test, extending their poor away record to 10 defeats in their last 11 Tests outside home conditions.

The result followed their innings defeat in the series opener at Leeds, leaving Pakistan at the bottom of the ICC World Test Championship standings.

Abbas said the players and management are fully aware of the problems affecting the team and stressed that improvements are needed across all three departments.

"Our performance is a concern for everyone. Everyone is worried, including selection committee and the NCA. We are not doing well, we accept that. We are not batting, bowling or fielding well and we discuss this all the time in meetings. We are all working on it, and we need to be, too," he said, as quoted by ICC.

Pakistan's fielding was another area highlighted by Abbas following the defeat.

The pacer felt missed opportunities allowed England's key batters to add crucial runs and shift the momentum of the match.

"We dropped catches, and their key players scored 70-odd extra runs. That is where the match changed because we could have bowled them out for 200. It is disappointing," he added.

Despite Pakistan's struggles, Abbas enjoyed an impressive individual outing at Lord’s.

He claimed nine wickets in the Test and registered his first five-wicket haul at the iconic venue.

However, the veteran seamer said individual success mattered less to him when the team continued to struggle for victories.

"Individual performances are important, but I try to perform to help the team win. It has been many matches that I have been performing, but the team has not won," he said.

Abbas also pointed to the relative inexperience within Pakistan's bowling attack as another challenge.

He noted that the combination had changed across recent series and suggested that greater exposure to different conditions would be valuable for the younger bowlers.

"In Bangladesh, we had a different bowling combination to here. We won a Test in the West Indies. The guys are adjusting, but experience is very important in Test cricket," he said.

Mohammad Ali, who has played eight Tests, and Khurram Shahzad, who has featured in 10, have considerable domestic experience but are still relatively new to international cricket.

Abbas himself has played 32 Tests and acknowledged the difference in experience between him and the younger fast bowlers around him.

"I have played 32 Test matches, but the fast bowlers playing with me are very new to Test cricket. But everybody is trying to improve."

Pakistan will now look to end their difficult run with a consolation victory in the series.

The third Test against England is scheduled to begin at Edgbaston on September 9, with crucial World Test Championship points also at stake.