'They are a poor side': Stuart Broad dishes out ultimate insult to Pakistan, predicts whitewash in favour of England

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'They are a poor side': Stuart Broad dishes out ultimate insult to Pakistan, predicts whitewash in favour of England originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • Stuart Broad has labelled Pakistan a "poor side" ahead of the Test series in England.
  • The former England seamer predicted a comfortable 3-0 whitewash for the hosts.
  • Babar Azam has been ruled out of the first Test at Headingley through injury.

Stuart Broad dishes out ultimate insult to Pakistan, predicts whitewash in favour of England

England begin life after Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum this week, and Stuart Broad sees little reason for the hosts to fear the visitors. The former seamer has delivered a withering assessment of Pakistan's Test side, dismissing them as a poor outfit and forecasting a clean sweep for Joe Root's team.

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The three-match series marks the start of a new era at Headingley, with Root returning as captain and Marcus Trescothick in interim charge before Stephen Fleming takes over. Both sides sit in the bottom half of the World Test Championship standings, England seventh and Pakistan eighth.

Pakistan's preparations have been further undermined by the loss of Babar Azam for the opening Test, with the newly reinstated captain ruled out after being struck on the hand during the warm-up fixture against a PCC Select XI at Beckenham.

MORE: LIVE: ENG vs PAK 1st Test, Day 1 - Live score, updates, toss, highlights from Headingley as Root-Fleming era begins

Why Stuart Broad believes Pakistan are a poor side

Broad acknowledged the individual quality still present in the Pakistan squad but was unsparing about the collective. Speaking on the For The Love Of Cricket podcast, he made his view unmistakably clear.

"Yes, they've still got Babar Azam. They've got Mohammad Abbas, who's come back into the side, who's 36. But they're a poor side. They're not really a good side," Broad said. In an ironic moment, Pakistan head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed quickly confirmed that Azam would actually have to miss the game due to an injury in his right hand he sustained back in the Caribbean.

But while Pakistan was already struggling, Broad then went further, predicting the series would be a straightforward exercise for the hosts despite England's own recent struggles. "You would imagine and you would think that England should win 3-0 and pretty comfortably," Broad added.

The reference to Abbas is notable given the seamer's record in English conditions, where he has taken more than 300 County Championship wickets across spells with Leicestershire, Hampshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. His control and seam movement represent Pakistan's most obvious threat on these surfaces.

MORE: Babar Azam ruled out of England vs Pakistan 1st Test at Headingley

Why Broad's confidence may be misplaced

The prediction sits awkwardly alongside England's own form. This is a side that has lost seven of its past nine Tests, has not won a series since December 2024, and is handing the crucial number three role to Jordan Cox, a batter with a single Test cap, after Jacob Bethell was ruled out with a knee injury.

Pakistan also have recent history on their side in this fixture. They won the 2024 home series 2-1 and beat England 3-0 in Pakistan back in 2022, and they arrive off the back of a series-levelling Test win in the Caribbean. But with Azam, whose leadership as well as his knock with the bat proved crucial for their last win, sidelined, things won't be that easy.

Broad may well be proved right if Headingley offers the seam movement that England's attack thrives on, but writing off a Pakistan side that has repeatedly upset the odds in this fixture feels like the kind of prediction that ages badly.

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