An international joke

Has there been a worse Pakistan batting order since the era of Kerry Packer? Even if there has, Pakistan's current bunch comes close. Misbah-ul-Haq and Nasir Jamshed aside, this is a batting order to forget, except it keeps being rammed down the throats of Pakistan supporters.

And there were plenty of these fans filling The Oval and Edgbaston, turning both neutral matches into home games. On each occasion Pakistan's batsmen failed their legions.

How far do you fault individuals for a lack of skill? A deep malaise lies at the heart of Pakistan's cricket structure that nurtures such ineptitude. Hashim Amla, Man of the Match, was lost for words when asked to critique Pakistan's batting failure. "What do you want me to say?" he laughed.

Misbah, meanwhile, described the performance of his own batsmen as a total flop. Whichever new regime sweeps through the corridors of the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, to be installed as the next Pakistan Cricket Board, needs to understand that the performance of the majority of its batsmen, and the people who select them, has become an international joke. Pakistan's batting problems are chronic and multiplying. The words on the lips of Pakistan's green army witnessing events at Edgbaston were also chronic and multiplying, as well as blue and four-lettered.