Abbas: "Everyone is worried" as Pakistan's grim run of form is extended

Mohammad Abbas was unbeaten at the other end as Pakistan's last wicket fell, and for the one man who has emerged from this series with any credit, it was perhaps appropriate.

He completed a five-wicket haul earlier in the day that put his name on the Lord's honours board, at a ground where he has a phenomenal record; 17 wickets in four innings at less than 12. It is clear there isn't much to worry about as far as Abbas the bowler is concerned, but equally obvious the same cannot be said about the Pakistan side at large.

"Our performance is a concern for everyone," Abbas said. "Everyone is worried, including selection committee and the NCA. We're not doing well, we accept that. We're not batting, bowling or fielding well and we discuss this all the time in meetings. We're all working on it and we need to be, too."

The defeat might have been somewhat less crushing than last week's hammering in Leeds, but to say the outcome was ever remotely in doubt would be a stretch.

England took a 180-run lead in the first innings, and from there, all Pakistan ultimately managed was damage control. Despite Abbas' nine-wicket haul, England had simply scored too many runs in the first innings, especially through their lower order; once 222 for 8, they went on to add 68 runs, Pakistan's inveterate inability to polish off the lower order persisting.

Part of it was, predictably, down to Pakistan's fielding, which showed little improvement this Test. The catching, in particular, left plenty to be required. Despite Salman Agha's blinder as a substitute in the slips, Pakistan dropped at least four at crucial stages in the first innings.

"We dropped catches and their key players scored 70-odd extra runs," Abbas said. "That's where the match changed because we could have bowled them out for 200. It's disappointing."

Cruelly, it comes in a phase of his career where Abbas is enjoying more success and adulation in Test cricket than perhaps he ever has. His last six Tests have seen him take 28 wickets at under 19, and as Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah's Test stock has fallen, Abbas has emerged as the veteran leader of Pakistan's seam attack.

He never resented the years he was snubbed, and his resurgence in the absence of victory appears to give him no pleasure. "Individual performances are important, but I try to perform to help the team win. It's been many matches that I've been performing but the team hasn't won.

"What was in my hands, I did. I played domestic cricket in Pakistan, and county cricket. What was in my hands, I did, and the management at the time did what they thought was best. It's not in my control whether I get selected."

There was fury back home after the limpness of the defeat at Headingley, which will invariably be amplified now Pakistan have lost the series; it is their 15th defeat in their last 20 Tests, and their 10th away defeat in 11 games. They sit bottom of the World Test Championship rankings, with few obvious avenues for a quick reversal of fortunes.

Abbas, however, dismissed the notion that any of that was down to want of effort. "This is Test cricket. Every run and wicket gets added to your career. Everybody understands that responsibility and everybody is trying. We're getting bowled out in 35-50 overs, but this is [not a settled side].

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"In Bangladesh, we had a different bowling combination to here. We won a Test in the West Indies. The guys are adjusting, but experience is very important in Test cricket. I've played 32 Test matches, but the fast bowlers playing with me are very new to Test cricket. But everybody is trying to improve."

The concern has not been limited to lack of experience, but also absence of pace. Abbas is the slowest of the three pace bowlers, but also by far the most skilful. As such, speed has not been an issue for him, as it hasn't for his English medium-fast counterpart Ollie Robinson. But while Robinson has, in Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue, bowlers who can hit, and frequently exceed, 90mph, the two seam bowlers Abbas has had for company are barely quicker than him. Mohammad Ali hit 86mph once but generally operates around 78-82mph, as does Khurram Shahzad.

"Everyone has their own skill," Abbas said. "I've never bowled 140 in my life, so I bowl according to my skill. The way there's partnerships when you're batting, there are partnerships when you're bowling. In Leeds we didn't bowl like that, but we were a lot better here. We're assessing the conditions and getting used to them here, and there are improvements."

Those improvements will not come soon enough to save the series, which Pakistan have lost in about five days of actual match-play. For now, it's tricky to see where they come from in the medium term either, but that, like so much that's happening around him, is simply not in Abbas's control.

Danyal Rasool is Cricinfo's Pakistan correspondent. @Danny61000