Pakistan only as good as Division 2 county team: Ex-captain offers brutal intervention

Pakistan’s batting struggles in England have reached a point where former England captain Michael Vaughan believes the visitors are barely producing the standard expected of a Test side. After another collapse at Lord’s, Vaughan compared Pakistan’s current batting line-up to a Second Division county line-up.

Pakistan were bowled out for just 110 in their first innings of the second Test, adding to the disappointment their defeat by an innings and 53 runs in the series opener. Vaughan asked on the BBC’s Test Match Special whether Pakistan’s batsmen were able to put enough pressure on England’s bowlers.

England vs Pakistan 2nd Test Day 2: Highlights | Scorecard

“But this is a Pakistan bat. Is it second-tier county cricket? There’s no way they’re batting to any standard to say that’s a Test batting line-up,” Vaughan said.

The tie came after Pakistan’s top order once again failed to provide England with a serious challenge. Babar Azam, who returned to the side from injury, scored only eight, while Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood and Mohammad Rizwan also departed in single figures.

Azan Awais offered the most resistance with 46, but the Pakistan side left England with a huge advantage and their bowlers had no reason to ease up.

WHY VAUGHAN MADE THAT COMPARISON

Vaughan’s criticism was directed not at England’s bowling, which he said was impressive, but at the lack of resistance from Pakistan’s batting.

“You’re not going to get hurt. There’s no batter to hurt them. Nobody’s going to damage their pieces and it’s really ‘roll, roll, who wants to score?'” he said.

Vaughan suggested England’s bowlers can attack relentlessly as Pakistan are unlikely to make them pay for taking risks.

“I think everyone knows Pakistan aren’t going to get big scores. So you’re only going to be there for 40 to 50 overs, so you give everything in every spell, you keep going to Joe Root and saying, ‘Err, I’ll have another one.’ There are so many goals,” he said.

He also warned that England’s attack could trouble stronger batting sides if they maintain their level.

“It’s that easy. They’re still doing a good job and they’re still looking very threatening. And I think this bowling attack, the way they’re playing, will challenge the better batting line-ups if they continue like this,” added Vaughan.

PAKISTAN CHAOTIC ENGLAND TOUR

The batting collapse is just one part of a difficult tour of England for Pakistan. The Lord’s trial was also overshadowed by controversy Sky Sports interview with Kasim and Sulaiman Khan, sons of former Pakistan captain and Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The PCB has reportedly threatened to withdraw Pakistan from the Test and possibly the rest of the tour if Sky Sports broadcast an interview that focused on Imran Khan’s health and treatment in prison. The interview was eventually aired while Pakistan returned to the field and resumed play.

Pakistan head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed later said he and his players were unaware of the reported threat and insisted they were focused on the match.

Cricket itself offered little relief to Pakistan. England finished Day 2 81/3 in their second innings to extend their lead to 261 runs. Pakistan are already 1-0 down in the three-Test series and now face a huge task to avoid another defeat at Lord’s.

The contrast between England’s dominant bowling and Pakistan’s fragile batting has therefore become a defining feature of the tour so far, giving Vaughan’s assessment of “second division county cricket” a particularly brutal edge.

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Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

29 Aug 2026 08:37 IST