'We're making the same mistakes' - Saud Shakeel slams Pakistan's batting after Edgbaston collapse

Pakistan slumped to 133 all out on the opening day of the third Test at Edgbaston on September 9, 2026. The team was already 2-0 down in the three-match series following a 194-run defeat in the second Test at Lord's, which led to the sacking of head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and assistant Umar Gul. Pakistan's reshuffled batting line-up featured three debutants as the team attempted to salvage the series.

The collapse unfolded in 33.5 overs, with Pakistan's entire top five falling for single-figure scores for the first time in an English Test first innings. Josh Tongue claimed four wickets, while Ollie Robinson and Jofra Archer took three each. The partnership between Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Ali in the tenth wicket lasted 46 balls and proved to be the longest of the innings. Saud Shakeel compiled 43, the team's highest score, before Josh Tongue bowled him, while Mohammad Abbas contributed 21.

"I try to play according to the demands of any situation," he said. "With wickets falling around me, the best option for me was to make as many runs as I could. So I was batting quicker to adjust to the situation around me," said Shakeel as quoted by Crcinfo.

"It's depressing, we're making the same mistake as a batting unit. We're getting out in bunches and there were lots of soft dismissals today. We're trying, but yes it's frustrating that we keep making the same mistakes. I don't think it's a confidence issue. If you don't have the confidence to play at this level, then you don't deserve to play here. But in difficult conditions, poor form can be quite hard to break out of," he added.

Conditions and unfamiliar challenges

However, he felt Pakistan had been caught off guard by how favourable the conditions have been for bowlers, especially after seeing how batting-friendly the wickets had been throughout the English summer.

"The conditions were challenging, especially at Lord's. Over there, even someone like Joe Root struggled and has had a difficult series. I was surprised with the conditions here. If you look at the New Zealand series and compare it to this one, there is a lot of lateral movement here. We are not used to that, perhaps. But we were trying our best. We accept our batting failures, but the conditions are also in the favour of the bowlers," said Shakeel.