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Ex-South Africa captain AB de Villiers slammed Pakistan for their performance in the ongoing red-ball bilateral assignment against England. The visiting team lost the first in Leeds by an innings and 103 runs, with Josh Tongue and Ollie Robinson doing the damage. The second Test ended with the hosts winning by 194 runs to claim the series.

“I don’t see many current Pakistan players put in the hard yards, especially the batting unit. It doesn’t have to be pretty always, but there were plenty of soft dismissals, and that’s what it comes down to,” said AB de Villiers. Babar Azam’s side has been terrible with the bat, and they have failed to touch the 200-run mark in four attempts, with their highest score being 194.

“Sometimes it’s ugly and terrible to watch. If I were playing for my ego, I probably would have been a different player. It is always about how much character a player can show on the field, which is why I decided to play according to the situation of the game.”

This is not the first time a former player has questioned Pakistan for their failures in recent times. Shoaib Akhtar, during a recent interview, said that the current side lacks the will to fight and it will take a lot of time to bring cricket back to life in Pakistan.

Proteas legend questions lack of character

AB de Villiers questioned the lack of character. “I always felt that Test cricket was a test of character and that’s what they are lacking. They need four to five guys who can step up and take over the leadership mantle and set an example for the youngsters on how to win matches,” he said.

“There is also a bit of mismanagement from the top. There have been far too many changes across all departments, even in the captaincy. With Babar back now, I hope he gets a long run and is able to start scoring runs like we know he can. His teammates can follow his example as well. I am hoping the team can come back to form and perform well in all formats,” he added.