Pakistan Test Cricket Is Broken: Camp, Coach and No Plan
Pakistan sit eighth in the World Test Championship at 8.33 percentage points. Only West Indies are below them.
They were whitewashed by Bangladesh at home in May 2026. They have one Test win from four matches in the current WTC cycle. They depart for the West Indies on July 13 without two of their most important players fit.
The training camp supposed to fix all this is now causing its own problems.
Pakistan Cricket Team Test Results: 2025 to Now
| # | Series (Date) | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Indies (Jan 2025) | Home | Won 1st Test, Lost 2nd Test |
| 2 | South Africa (Oct 2025) | Home | Series ongoing |
| 3 | Bangladesh (May 2026) | Away | Lost 2-0 (Whitewash) |
| 4 | WTC Rank | — | 8th (8.33% PCT) |
Pakistan have not won a Test series away from home since 2021. Bangladesh, who had never beaten Pakistan in a Test before 2024, whitewashed them twice in two years.
The 95-Day Summer Camp Nobody Planned Properly
Pakistan’s National Cricket Academy opened a red-ball camp in Lahore on June 10. It runs through to the West Indies departure on July 13. That is roughly 33 days for the red-ball camp, not 95. The white-ball camp runs separately and started the same week.
Mike Hesson told Cricinfo the white-ball camp covers 27 to 28 players and the first two weeks focused on medical testing and fitness baselines. Skills training starts next week.
The problem is timing. June and July in Lahore means heat above 40 degrees Celsius. Players are training in peak summer. Senior players who came through months of international cricket and PSL are arriving at the camp already fatigued.
Critics have pointed out that England runs Test camps in England in English summer conditions. Australia runs camps close to the tours they are preparing for. Pakistan is conditioning players for the Caribbean and English summer in Lahore heat with no environmental crossover.
Rizwan Is Injured. Saud Is Injured. Shan Has Niggles.
Mohammad Rizwan is in rehab. He has been unable to take part in red-ball training. Saud Shakeel, Test vice-captain, has a hand injury. Shan Masood and Salman Ali Agha both have what sources describe as niggling fitness concerns.
An insider told PTI that Rizwan and Saud are unlikely to be fit for the West Indies tour. Final medical reports arrive between July 4 and 5.
Three players were called up as cover: Abdullah Shafique, Kamran Ghulam and uncapped Hamza Nazar.
Kamran Ghulam scored 73 on his Test debut against Australia in 2022 and disappeared from selection for four years. He is back as cover for an injured vice-captain. That sequence alone summarises the inconsistency of Pakistan’s selection process over the last three years.
Sarfaraz Ahmed: Still Interim, Still Unofficial
There has been no PCB media release confirming Sarfaraz Ahmed as Pakistan’s Test head coach beyond the Bangladesh series earlier this year.
Sarfaraz was working with Pakistan Shaheens and the emerging programme before being offered the interim Test head coach role for Bangladesh. He accepted it. Pakistan lost the series 0-2.
His status for the West Indies and England tours is unconfirmed. PCB has not announced a permanent appointment. A coaching vacancy at Test level heading into two high-stakes overseas series is not a minor administrative gap. It is a structural failure.
Aaqib Javed, Pakistan’s chief selector and national men’s director, continues to face questions about results. England lost six of their last eight Tests and replaced their coaching structure. Pakistan have lost more than that across formats with no structural consequences for those in senior roles.
The Administration Problem
PCB appointed Osama Sharoon as Senior General Manager for Domestic Cricket Operations. He comes from a government services background with no cricket background in coaching, selection or administration.
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi is simultaneously serving as Pakistan’s Interior Minister. Critics have questioned whether the demands of running a federal ministry alongside a cricket board allow genuine attention to either role.
Amir Mir, head of PCB media, has a journalism background rather than a cricket one. PCB’s marketing partnerships reportedly cover only three to four sponsors. Stadium infrastructure investment has not kept pace with ICC hosting requirements.
These are not separate problems. They are the same problem at different points of the same organisation.
The Pitch Question
Pakistan has been preparing spin-friendly pitches for home Tests to maximise their spin bowling advantage. The logic is reasonable for home series.
But the West Indies in July and England in August are not spin-friendly conditions. The Caribbean pitches offer pace and bounce. English conditions in late summer offer swing and seam. Training on turners in Lahore for six weeks before touring the Caribbean and England is not preparation. It is a mismatch.
Hesson alluded to this when he told PCB Digital that players are being given individual performance plans tailored to their specific technical needs. Whether those plans account for the conditions ahead is not clear from what has been made public.
What Actually Needs to Happen
Permanent Test head coach appointment before the West Indies tour. Not interim. Not acting. A named, contracted appointment with clear responsibilities.
Captaincy clarity. Shan Masood led Pakistan in the Bangladesh whitewash. Rumours of a switch to Salman Ali Agha keep circulating. Changing captain before a difficult overseas tour without a clear performance rationale adds instability to an already unstable environment.
Camp conditions that match tour conditions. The PCB is sending some white-ball players to the USA for different training environments. The same logic should apply to the Test setup for West Indies preparation.
Selection consistency. Kamran Ghulam’s four-year absence after a strong debut is one data point. There are many others. Players cannot develop confidence or form under conditions of arbitrary selection.
The Schedule Ahead
| Date | Fixture |
|---|---|
| July 13 | Pakistan depart for West Indies |
| July 25-29 | 1st Test, Trinidad |
| August 2-6 | 2nd Test, Trinidad |
| August 19 | 1st Test vs England, Headingley |
| August 27 | 2nd Test vs England, Lord’s |
| September 9 | 3rd Test vs England, Edgbaston |
Five Tests in seven weeks. Two of Pakistan’s most reliable batters currently in rehab. No confirmed Test head coach. An 8.33 WTC percentage that makes every match urgent.
Pakistan need to win Tests this summer. Everything about their current setup makes that harder than it needs to be.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Pakistan 8th in the World Test Championship? Pakistan sit 8th in the 2025-27 WTC cycle with 8.33 percentage points after being whitewashed 2-0 by Bangladesh in May 2026 at home. They have won one Test from four matches in this cycle. Only West Indies sit below them.
Who is Pakistan’s Test head coach in 2026? Sarfaraz Ahmed served as interim Test head coach for Pakistan’s series against Bangladesh in early 2026. PCB has not made a formal announcement confirming his role for the West Indies and England tours. No permanent Test head coach appointment has been confirmed.
Why are Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan missing the Pakistan Test camp? Saud Shakeel has a hand injury and Mohammad Rizwan has a separate undisclosed injury. Both are in rehab and were absent from the red-ball training camp in Lahore. An insider told PTI both are unlikely to be fit for the West Indies tour. Final medical assessments are due July 4-5.
When does Pakistan play their next Test series? Pakistan play two Tests against West Indies in Trinidad starting July 25 and August 2, followed by three Tests in England starting August 19 at Headingley, August 27 at Lord’s and September 9 at Edgbaston.
