Pakistan Bat Well in the 1st Innings.They Collapse in the 2nd.

CricInfo tracked every Pakistan batter’s average across both innings since July 2024. The gap is not a coincidence. It is a pattern.

West Indies vs Pakistan · 1st Test, Trinidad · Pakistan lost by 90 runs

ESPNCricinfo published a batting average comparison for Pakistan’s regular Test XI. No spin. No match-by-match breakdown. Just two numbers per player: 1st innings average and 2nd innings average. Every single player drops. Most drop badly.

Imam-ul-Haq averages 54.50 in the 1st innings. He averages 3.50 in the 2nd. Saud Shakeel averages 44.69 batting first. He averages 21.16 when the match is on the line. Mohammad Rizwan scores at 49 before the pitch deteriorates and the scoreboard tightens. He scores at 26.92 after.

This is not slump-phase data. These are career patterns across 14 matches of Test cricket since mid-2024.

Pakistan Test Batting Averages: 1st vs 2nd Innings Since 2024

Source: ESPNCricinfo · Since July 28, 2024 · All Test matches

Player	Tests	1st Inns Avg	2nd Inns Avg
Imam-ul-Haq	4	54.50	3.50
Abdullah Shafique	7	26.28	16.00
Aamer Awais	3	38.66	13.00
Saim Ayub	7	38.00	17.16
Shan Masood	14	42.14	30.53
Babar Azam	11	23.81	40.20
Salman Ali Agha	14	38.00	31.66
Mohammad Rizwan	14	49.00	26.92
Saud Shakeel	13	44.69	21.16
Aamer Jamal	6	17.33	27.00

Babar Azam Is the Outlier

One name does not fit this pattern. Babar Azam averages 23.81 in the 1st innings and 40.20 in the 2nd. He is the only Pakistan batter in this dataset whose average rises when the match is live and the pressure is real.

CricInfo’s data backs him. The YouTube criticism does not.

Trinidad was the clearest proof. Pakistan chased 211 on a used surface in Trinidad. The top order fell apart. Saim Ayub, Shan Masood, Saud Shakeel: gone cheaply. Pakistan reached 71 for 9. Babar stayed. He finished unbeaten on 58. Jayden Seales took 5 for 20 and ended the match by trapping Mohammad Abbas leg before for 23. Pakistan were all out for 120. They lost by 90 runs.

Babar fought. The rest did not back him. That is the actual story of that innings.

This Is a Pressure Problem

Pakistan’s batting technique is not the issue. Saud Shakeel’s defence is among the best in Asian Test cricket. Rizwan has spent a decade batting long. Abdullah Shafique averages above 45 across his full Test career in 1st innings.

Technique holds in the 1st innings. It breaks in the 2nd.

The pitch does not change between innings. The opposition does not change. The scoreboard does. A target of 211 in Trinidad should be chaseable. Pakistan scored 120. That gap belongs to the mind, not the technique.

Pakistan score runs when the match does not need them. They collapse when it does.

What the Senior Players Must Own

Babar’s 2nd innings average is the best in this Pakistan XI. But being the best batter in a collapsing side does not solve the collapse.

Senior cricketers carry more than their own runs. Rizwan’s body language at the crease affects how a number seven walks in. Shakeel’s shot selection under pressure tells the tail what this chase feels like from the middle. Babar as captain now holds all of this together.

Pakistan’s 2nd innings numbers tell you that when the scoreboard pressure arrives, the batting group does not hold. That starts at the top and works down. The numbers will not change until the mindset does.

What Changes Now

Babar returns as Test captain. He is the calmest man in the team when a match is tight. The 2nd innings data proves it. Pakistan need that calm to reach the rest of the XI.

No coach teaches a batter to want the big chase. That comes from watching senior players treat pressure as normal. Pakistan’s 1st innings runs are real. Their ability to bat through a live match is not there yet.

CricInfo’s data showed the gap in July 2024. Trinidad confirmed it in July 2026. The 2nd innings is where Pakistan Test matches are won and lost. Right now, they are being lost every time.

People Also Ask

Why do Pakistan batters score less in the 2nd innings?

Pakistan batters average below 25 in the 2nd innings because scoreboard pressure causes mental collapse, not technical failure. CricInfo tracked every regular Test player since July 2024. Every single player drops in the 2nd innings. Technique stays the same. Pressure does not.

How does Babar Azam perform in the 2nd innings?

Babar Azam averages 40.20 in the 2nd innings compared to 23.81 in the 1st. He is the only Pakistan Test batter whose average rises under match pressure, based on ESPNCricinfo data since July 28, 2024.

What happened to Pakistan in the West Indies 1st Test 2026?

Pakistan were bowled out for 120 chasing 211 in Trinidad. Babar Azam stayed unbeaten on 58. Jayden Seales took 5 for 20. Pakistan lost by 90 runs. It was their 8th straight away Test defeat and extended their record to 13 losses in their last 17 Tests.

Where do Pakistan stand in WTC 2025-27?

Pakistan are 9th and last in the WTC 2025-27 points table. They hold a PCT of 6.67 from one win and four losses in five Tests. They have never qualified for a WTC Final.

Which Pakistan batter has the biggest 1st to 2nd innings drop?

Imam-ul-Haq has the biggest drop. He averages 54.50 in the 1st innings and 3.50 in the 2nd. That is a fall of 51 runs per innings across 4 Test matches since July 2024.