When Babar Azam told the ICC that “we are pretty much out of the WTC this year, so we’re looking forward to the next one,” he didn’t just comment on a personal schedule – he laid bare a national embarrassment. The captain’s own words, published on the ICC’s official website, confirm that Pakistan have already dropped out of contention for next year’s World Test Championship final at The Oval, having secured only two wins and sitting ninth on the standings.
Why the denial matters
For a country that clings to cricket as a banner of pride, the official narrative has long been that the Men in Green are perennial contenders. State‑run media, commercial sponsors and even rival fanbases have repeatedly spun stories of “Pakistan never loses at home.” Babar’s admission shatters that myth with surgical precision. It forces us to confront a reality that the PCB’s own schedule – a two‑match home series against Sri Lanka, the first Test in Rawalpindi from 9‑13 November and the second in Lahore from 17‑21 November – is being played under the shadow of an already‑failed campaign.
