Former England captain Michael Vaughan has delivered a scathing assessment of Pakistan’s batting after their heavy defeat against England in the Lord’s Test. Vaughan went as far as suggesting that some County Championship teams currently possess stronger batting line-ups than the Pakistan national cricket team. Pakistan suffered a 194-run defeat at Lord’s after also losing the opening Test in Leeds.

Across both matches, the visitors struggled to put together a meaningful batting performance, leaving them unable to mount a serious fightback against England’s bowling attack. Following the Lord’s defeat, Vaughan questioned the quality of Pakistan’s batting unit, which includes star players such as Babar Azam. Writing in his Telegraph column, the former England skipper claimed that Pakistan’s current batting line-up would be more suited to the second tier of the County Championship.

Michael Vaughan even named Durham, Kent and Northamptonshire, arguing that their batting groups appeared stronger than Pakistan’s at present. “I have described them as worthy of a County Championship Division Two batting line-up, and I stand by that. And I have actually been a bit unfair to Durham, Kent and Northamptonshire, who all have better batting line-ups than Pakistan,” Vaughan wrote.

ALSO READ: Faf du Plessis Reveals His Take on Smith, Bancroft and Sandpaper Gate Scandal

He went on to describe the current Pakistan side as a very poor team and admitted that he could not remember seeing the national team perform at such a low level. “I have never known a Pakistan team nearly this bad,” Vaughan added.

However, Michael Vaughan was also keen to acknowledge England’s bowlers and insisted that Pakistan’s struggles should not completely overshadow their performances. England’s pace attack has impressed throughout the series, with Ollie Robinson, Josh Tongue and Jofra Archer among those making an impact.

Vaughan praised the English bowlers for their pace, variation, attitude and willingness to take on the challenge. However, he believes their performances need to be judged against stronger opposition before England can be considered genuine contenders among the leading Test teams. “You can only really judge the attack when conditions get tough. But what they have shown us in the two Test matches so far is that they have pace and variation,” Michael Vaughan said.

The former England captain wants to see the same intensity when England face higher-ranked opponents. He believes the team’s body language and confidence have been particularly impressive against Pakistan but warned that the challenge will be significantly tougher against stronger batting units.

ALSO READ: CSK Deny MS Dhoni Stake Rumours As IPL 2027 Future Remains Uncertain

Michael Vaughan argued that England’s bowlers have been able to attack confidently because Pakistan’s batters have struggled to punish them for bowling in good areas.

While his comments were particularly harsh on Pakistan’s batting, Vaughan’s wider point was that England must replicate their current bowling standards against the best Test teams. The upcoming challenges against stronger opposition will provide a much clearer indication of how far the Three Lions have progressed.