London, August 3, 2026: Former England right-arm fast bowler Stuart Broad has admitted that he regrets describing Pakistan as a “poor side” ahead of their ongoing Test series against England, saying his assessment unfairly placed the blame on the players.
Speaking on the YouTube podcast For the Love of Cricket, Broad reflected on comments he made twice before the first two Tests, including a prediction that England would complete a 3-0 series victory.
Ahead of the second Test at Lord’s, the former pace bowler had doubled down on his assessment, saying anything less than a clean sweep would be a major disappointment for England.
“I don’t know what we can really know about this team, but, as I said in the last podcast, which quite a few Pakistani fans took exception to, Pakistan are a poor side and England should win this series 3-0. If they don’t, it would be an absolute disaster. I haven’t changed my opinion on that at all. England should win this Test series 3-0; they’ve simply got a stronger side,” Broad had said.
However, after watching Pakistan in the opening two Tests, Broad acknowledged that his earlier assessment was misplaced.
The 40-year-old said he received a large number of messages from Pakistani supporters following his comments, giving him a greater appreciation of the passion and emotional connection surrounding cricket in Pakistan.
“I said before the series that I felt Pakistan were a poor side, and I got a lot of messages and notes on social media from Pakistan. It showed me how much passion, love and drive there still is for Pakistan cricket,” Broad said.
“There’s so much passion for the game in that country, and there’s talent there. They have bowlers who bowl at 140 clicks and batters who can hit the ball,” he added.
Broad said his experience of the two Tests had changed his perspective, leading him to regret labelling the national side as poor.
“I actually regret saying they were a poor side because I feel that blamed the players,” he said.
Broad argued that Pakistan’s difficulties appeared to extend beyond the quality of the players, pointing instead to issues within the country’s cricketing structure.
Having observed the team during the first two Tests, he identified the hierarchy, selection process and frequent coaching changes as major factors affecting the side’s performance.
“Now that I’ve seen them operate in two Test matches, I can quite clearly see that it’s the hierarchy, the selection and the changes in coaching that are the issues,” Broad stated.
His revised assessment comes after Pakistan suffered two heavy defeats against England in the opening matches of the three-Test series.
Pakistan were beaten by an innings and 103 runs in the first Test before suffering a 194-run defeat at Lord’s, despite entering the second match with a strong record at the historic venue.
The back-to-back defeats prompted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to make sweeping changes ahead of the third Test, with seven players released from the squad while head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were also removed.
