‘Stop thinking about away Ashes, concentrate on problems at hand’ – Hussain to England after PAK series loss

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has asked English players and the team management to stop thinking, talking or making decisions around just one series – the away Ashes later next year and instead should work hard on mending the issues. His remarks came after England succumbed to a Test series defeat against Pakistan despite leading it at one stage.

England hit the fourth-highest team total (823/7) in the first innings of the first Test in Multan, breaking countless records and winning the match on day five to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Though they made several changes to their line-ups for the following two games, including bringing Ben Stokes into the playing XI, the touring side failed to stamp their authority and lost the series 1-2.

Pakistan’s spin duo of Noman Ali and Sajid Khan picked 39 off 40 wickets across two Tests, dismantling England’s batting since the Multan Test win. England captain Ben Stokes also admitted his team was outplayed in the series; moreover, he did not complain about the spin-friendly pitches in the country, saying Pakistan used the home conditions to their advantage, which should be the case everywhere.

However, reporting for Sky Sports, Hussain slammed the England Test team for thinking about the away Ashes all the time and not working on the mistakes, which has cost them plenty since. 

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“All we ever hear about with England is The Ashes, away [in 2025]. But we play so many series before The Ashes, and conditions here are so different from Australia,” Hussain said. “Someone like Zak Crawley, his position should come under threat, but when I say that, people say 'well, I think he'll be alright in Australia'. That doesn't matter here, this month. How are you going to play this month?

“How are you going to be consistent in these conditions? The same with Ollie Pope... it can't always be feast or famine with him. It can't just be about one series [The Ashes] every four years, away from home. You're almost not taking Pakistan seriously.

“Mistakes happen. That's part of sport. It's not about knocking the mistakes, because then you put fear in your side,” the former captain noted.

England out of WTC Final race

England played the most matches (19) compared to every team in the current cycle, and despite winning against West Indies and Sri Lanka at home earlier this year, they failed to stay alive in the WTC Final race. 

England is placed sixth on the WTC points table with a PCT of 40.79. The only teams below England are Pakistan (33.33), Bangladesh (30.56) and West Indies (18.52).

Meanwhile, England’s next Test series is an away tour of New Zealand. 

(With inputs from agencies)