Pakistan needed 211 to beat West Indies in the opening Test at Tarouba, a victory that would have ended a run of three successive defeats and given them only their second win in six Tests. Instead, they were bowled out for 120 to lose by 90 runs, extending another difficult phase in a format where victories have become increasingly hard to come by.
The defeat came in Babar Azam's first Test as captain after he was reappointed ahead of the West Indies series, a decision that drew criticism for turning back to a former leader instead of looking towards a longer-term solution. But Pakistan's latest loss had little to do with who was leading the side. Instead, it followed a familiar theme since the South Africa series began in December 2024: Pakistan have consistently worked themselves into strong positions before allowing the game to slip away.
The latest Test offered perhaps the clearest example yet. West Indies were 274-7 in the first innings before stretching their total to 311 through lower-order contributions. Pakistan then recovered from 1-1 through Shan Masood's century to reach 244-3, only to lose their remaining seven wickets for another 38 runs and concede a first-innings deficit. They created another opening in the third innings, reducing West Indies to 93-7, but the hosts added another 88 runs to set a target of 211. Pakistan never came close. Across the four innings, they earned opportunities to dictate the match, only to see them slip away.
Pakistan's defeats over the last eighteen months have followed remarkably similar scripts, where they have failed to finish off an innings strongly.
Across these defeats, Pakistan could have had far bigger totals if their batting innings had not unravelled. While they failed to latch on, the runs they conceded after appearing to have the opposition under pressure were just as costly. South Africa's last-wicket stand in Centurion, Bangladesh's fightback in Sylhet and West Indies' late runs in different matches all came at moments that hurt Pakistan, throwing them into a deep end from where they were unable to recover.
Speaking after the defeat to West Indies, Pakistan’s head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed identified the quick fall of wickets as a reason for the team’s persistent issues: “We had a good opportunity in the first innings. If Imam-ul-Haq [63] played a longer innings there and been a bit more patient, I believe we would have gotten a slightly better lead in the first innings. We’re also facing this problem [of collapses] in the second innings; we’ve identified the problem, spoken to the batters, but we collapse very quickly, which causes a lot of damage to the team.”
However, while Sarfaraz referenced the role of the openers, Pakistan's recurring issue has largely stemmed from the middle and lower order, with innings repeatedly unravelling after solid starts.
The issue has not been the absence of individual performances, but the lack of collective ones. Since the Boxing Day Test against South Africa in 2024, Pakistan have registered three centuries and 26 fifties. Yet only four of their 18 innings have featured more than two fifty-plus scores, while seven have contained just one. Only once has a Pakistan batter made fifty and remained unbeaten in this period - Babar, who made 58* against the West Indies in the first Test of the ongoing series. Too often, one batter has laid the platform, but once that wicket has fallen, the innings has found ways to fall apart rather than being carried forward by those around him.
That has inevitably placed greater pressure on the lower order. Since December 2024, Pakistan's Nos. 8-11 have amassed just 467 runs at an average of 8.81, both the lowest among Test-playing nations in this period. They are also yet to register a half-century, while 19 ducks show how quickly Pakistan's innings have tailed off once the recognised batters have departed.
The contrast becomes starker when compared with the opposition. South Africa's Nos. 8-11 averaged 25.88 against Pakistan across the two away Tests, West Indies' tail averaged 21.11 across the series in Pakistan before frustrating them again last week, while Bangladesh recovered to stretch their innings well beyond Pakistan's reach as well. The result has been a side that has had to chase bigger totals than necessary while defending smaller ones, a combination that has repeatedly left them reeling.
Changing personnel has not altered the pattern. Pakistan have fielded 26 players in the last one-and-a-half years, the third-most among Test-playing nations despite playing only nine Tests in that period. Zimbabwe have used 27 players across 12 Tests, while England have also fielded 26 in 14. It points to a side still searching for its best combination, but the issues run deeper than mere selection. Different players have come and gone, yet the same ebbs and flows continue to decide matches.
Babar's return as captain was meant to bring familiarity to a side still searching for stability. Tarouba, however, suggested Pakistan's biggest challenge is not finding another leader or another combination. It is learning to make their good periods count. Until they do, the margins that have gone against them are unlikely to shift.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
