Stuart Broad labels Pakistan 'very poor side' ahead of England Test series

LEEDS: England pace great Stuart Broad has labelled Pakistan a “very poor side” ahead of the three-match Test series between the two teams, with the opening Test beginning at Headingley on Wednesday.

Speaking in a recent interview alongside former England fast bowler Steven Finn, Broad gave a blunt assessment of Pakistan’s current Test squad and said England should be expected to win the series given the perceived difference in strength between the two sides.

The former England pacer also stressed that failing to secure a series victory would be a major disappointment for the hosts.

“Pakistan are a weaker side. There is no doubting that. They are a very poor side. If England don’t come away with a Test series win, it really is a huge failure for them,” Broad said.

The opening Test marks Pakistan’s first red-ball series in England since 2020, when the two sides played a three-match series. England won 1-0, while the other two Tests ended in draws.

Pakistan’s last Test series victory in England came in 1996, when Wasim Akram’s side secured a 2-1 triumph in the three-match series.

That success was Pakistan’s third consecutive Test series win in England, following their 1987 triumph under Imran Khan and their 1992 series victory under Javed Miandad.

Overall, England and Pakistan have faced each other 92 times in Test cricket. England have won 30 matches, Pakistan 23, while 39 Tests have ended in draws.

Squads

England: Joe Root (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith and Josh Tongue.

Pakistan: Babar Azam, Aamer Jamal, Ali Usman, Awais Zafar, Azan Awais, Ghazi Ghori, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique.