Babar Azam stood at Edgbaston on Saturday and conceded what the scoreboard had already made clear. Pakistan's 3-0 series sweep at the hands of England demands a full reassessment of personnel, selection and approach. "I think we need to sit down and reflect on our mistakes, decide what type of playing eleven, and decide our players," the captain said after the eight-wicket defeat. "I think they are sitting, and the manager is coming, the selector is coming, and I sit back and then decide our best eleven."
The loss capped a grim tour in which Pakistan were bowled out for under 200 in both innings of the opening two Tests before finally showing fight in Birmingham. They posted 449 in their second innings at Edgbaston, setting England a target of 130. It was not enough, but it was the first time the batting order had looked remotely functional in English conditions.
The improvement came too late to change the series, yet it offered a glimpse of what might have been. Debutant Razaullah provided the spark, taking four wickets in England's first innings before smashing 81 off 63 balls with nine sixes. Shan Masood scored 95, Babar contributed 76 and opener Azam Awais made 59 as Pakistan finally offered substantial resistance with the bat.
Mohammad Abbas then gave the visitors a flicker of hope by removing two England batters in the opening over of the chase. Babar admitted the team briefly believed they could force an unlikely result before Joe Root and Jordan Cox took control. "Yes. We took two wickets in the first over. So we believe high, always high. But I think Root and both batsmen playing are very good," he said.
Root finished unbeaten on 62 and Cox scored 59, their unbroken 128-run partnership easing England to victory with time to spare. The result confirmed Pakistan's worst possible return from the series and left the captain to confront the structural questions that had been building since the first innings in Multan.
Reflecting on selection throughout the series, Babar described the changes made after the first two defeats as unfortunate, while pointing to the difficulty of batting in the conditions. "Before we come here, we think about different things, and then we decide our team. And then unfortunately, we have a couple of changes after losing two matches because when we are coming to England, it is very difficult for the batsmen, and the first two pitches are very difficult," he said.
The admission carries weight because it acknowledges a planning failure, not just a performance one. Pakistan arrived with a settled idea of their best XI, lost twice, then scrambled to adjust. The Edgbaston side bore little resemblance to the one that started the series, and while the new combination produced a better display, it was a display born of desperation rather than design.
Babar was quick to back Razaullah after the breakthrough Test. Despite limited first-class experience, the youngster made an immediate impression on debut. "We enjoyed it. I think everyone is enjoying his innings and bowling, and he is a very good talent and raw. I think he's good for us. The way he played this match and he's giving confidence," the captain said.
He also stressed the importance of giving young players opportunities while adapting the team's approach according to conditions. "When you're coming to different series, you try to do your best, and you decide what type of cricket to play in different conditions. I think these conditions are difficult, but I think we try to get all the new boys to utilise their talent in here," he said.
The timing of that sentiment is awkward. Pakistan now sit at the bottom of the World Test Championship standings, their points percentage dropping from 16.67 to 14.81. They have only two wins to show for the cycle, and eight points have been deducted for slow over-rates. The margin for error, already thin, has effectively disappeared.
Babar's call for a sit-down with the manager and selectors is the first public acknowledgment that the current setup is not working. Whether that conversation produces a different XI, a different approach or a different captain remains to be seen. What is certain is that Pakistan leave England with a clean sweep against them and a list of questions that will not answer themselves.
The last word, for now, belongs to the numbers. Two wins, eight points deducted, a points percentage of 14.81 and a 3-0 defeat that exposed the gap between Pakistan's planning and England's execution. The meeting Babar has requested will not change any of that. It can only decide what happens next.
According to Yahoo Sports.