LONDON: Nasser Hussain said Pakistan had found the “kryptonite to Bazball” after wrapping up a 2-1 series win over England with an emphatic nine-wicket victory in Rawalpindi on Saturday.
England were beaten inside three days after suffering a dramatic collapse where they lost their last seven wickets for 46 runs.
All 20 England wickets fell to spinners for the second match in a row as Pakistan, thrashed by an innings and 47 runs in first Test, completed an impressive recovery.
Hussain, a former England captain, said Pakistan had “exposed England when the ball spins” and demonstrated that “when it spins and when it’s gripping, England don’t play spin as well or bowl spin as well as Pakistan.”
England, under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, have become known for their aggressive ‘Bazball’ style in Test cricket, particularly when batting, as they showed while compiling a mammoth 823-7 on a flat surface in the series opener in Multan.
But it was a very different story as spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, who did not feature in the first Test, took 39 of the 40 England wickets that fell in the next two matches.
“They (Pakistan) made a real, drastic change, new selectors, different pitches completely — as in they used the Multan pitch again, complete turner, came here (Rawalpindi), made it turn — and they found the kryptonite to Bazball,” said Hussain in his role as a Sky Sports pundit.
“When it spins and when it’s gripping, England don’t play spin as well or bowl spin as well as Pakistan.”
Several England batsmen struggled for runs in Pakistam, with Ollie Pope managing just 55 runs in five innings, skipper Ben Stokes 53 in four innings and opener Zak Crawley 139 in five visits to the crease.
Hussain added while the difference in pitch conditions offered some explanation for increasingly low scores, the “discrepancy with England is a concern.”
“It shouldn’t be so drastic that you play so well on flat pitches and you can hit through the line, and the moment it then grips you can’t play like that, so you’re then a little bit lost,” he said.
Michael Vaughan, another former England captain, said England needed to have “some serious conversations” about Pope’s position at number three.
“His returns suggest he does not have the mentality or technique to thrive against the very best bowlers,” wrote Vaughan in his column for Britain’s Daily Telegraph.
England, following a 4-1 series defeat in India earlier this year, have now lost six of their last seven Tests in Asia, with Hussain saying the focus on the Ashes, particularly on winning the 2025/26 campaign in Australia, was unhealthy.
“All you ever hear about is the Ashes, the Ashes away,” said Hussain. “We play so many series away before the Ashes, the conditions here are so different from Australia...It can’t all be about one series every four years away from home. You’re almost not taking Pakistan or India seriously, you’ve got to be across the board.”
Hussain says Pakistan have found ‘kryptonite to Bazball’ with England series win
https://arab.news/pkw3w
Hussain says Pakistan have found ‘kryptonite to Bazball’ with England series win
- England were beaten inside three days after losing seven wickets for merely 46 runs in second Test
- Hussain, former England captain, says England does not play spin well or bowl spin as well as Pakistan
Forever Young features among strong field for Saudi Cup 2026
- Title-holder on course to clash with top-level winners from US and Japan in world’s most valuable race
RIYADH: Defending champion Forever Young heads a stellar list of names put forward for this year’s Group 1 $20 million Saudi Cup, which will take place at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
The two-day meeting, which begins on Feb. 13, has attracted 57 individual thoroughbred Group or Grade 1 winners in its entirety and 14 Purebred Arabian Group 1 winners. The nominations, spread among 22 different countries, will be competing for total prize-money of almost $40 million.
Prince Bandar bin Khaled Al-Faisal, chairman of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, said: “This is only the seventh time we have staged the Saudi Cup meeting and it has already delivered countless memorable races and performances.
“With the nominations we have received for this year, we can be sure that the spectacular racing will continue. It is wonderful to see such a collection of both familiar and new names from all around the world due to be involved at King Abdulaziz Racecourse next month.”
Officially rated the joint-top dirt horse in the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings, Forever Young (JPN) has been successful on both his two previous visits to Saudi Arabia, winning the 2024 Saudi Derby before his gallant performance in the world’s most valuable race last year.
Yoshito Yahagi’s superstar, last seen winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic, could face a major challenge over the 1,800m from the US.
Former Classic champion White Abarrio (US) and Preakness Stakes victor Journalism (US) have been entered along with rising stars Nysos (US), the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile hero, and Magnitude (US), who beat a smart field in the Grade 2 Clark Stakes last time.
Further strength in depth from Japan could be added by W Heart Bond, the mare who won the recent Champions Cup, as well as Diktaean and Mikki Fight. They were first and second in the Tokyo Daishoten, the race used previously as a launchpad by Forever Young.
Sayyah (US), impressive in the recent Crown Prince Cup, and Star of Wonder (US), who claimed the King Faisal bin Abdulaziz Cup in late December, are among a number of promising Saudi Arabian-trained horses looking to secure a spot in the signature race.
This year’s Neom Turf Cup, sponsored by Howden, has been upgraded to Group 1 status, making it the first top-level turf race staged in the jurisdiction, and the purse has been increased to $3 million.
Charlie Appleby and Godolphin’s Rebel's Romance (IRE), the winner of nine top-level races around the world and a former Breeders’ Cup title-holder, is set to extend that extraordinary record in the 2,100m showdown. The likes of Bahrain International Trophy scorer Royal Champion (IRE) and Aidan O’Brien’s multiple Group 1-placed The Lion In Winter (IRE) could be up against him.
The Group 2 $2.5 million Red Sea Turf Handicap, sponsored by Longines, draws the cream of international stayers. Both Japan’s Durezza (JPN) and Joseph O’Brien’s Irish star Al-Riffa (FR) have been given entries for this race and the Neom Turf, while last year’s fourth Presage Nocturne (IRE) has improved again for Alessandro Botti.
This year’s Group 2 $2 million 1351 Turf Sprint, sponsored by SHG, could be an absolute cracker with entries headed by Jose d’Angelo’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint sensation Shisospicy (US) and Europe’s leading sprinter and Royal Ascot winner Lazzat (FR).
Similarly, the Group 2 $2 million Riyadh Dirt Sprint has drawn the cream of the international speedsters, including Book’em Danno and Shisospicy’s Breeders’ Cup-winning stablemate Bentornato, from the US, and two incredible talents from the UAE in Bhupat Seemar’s prolific Tuz (US) and last year’s Dubai Golden Shaheen winner Dark Saffron (US) for Ahmad bin Harmash.
Khamal (CHI), stylish winner of the Group 1 Premio Derby Nacional in Peru in late November, is among the jet-setting entries in the Group 3 $1.5 million Saudi Derby, sponsored by Zood Realty.
The card on Friday, Feb. 13 includes the International Jockey Challenge while the $500,000 Saudi International Handicap, sponsored by Lucid, has attracted potential runners trained as far afield as Bahrain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Norway, Oman, Qatar and Spain.
There are two Group 1 races for Purebred Arabians across the weekend. The main turf event, the $1.5 million Al-Mneefah Cup, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, was taken in brave fashion in 2025 by RB Kingmaker (US) and Helal Alalawi’s grey is set for a return visit.
The $2 million Obaiyah Arabian Classic, the principal event on dirt, was won spectacularly last year by the decorated Tilal Al-Khalediah (KS), who could feature again in a strong field from around the Gulf region.
Alalawi has entered not only RB Kingmaker but HM Alchahine (FR), who was a commanding winner over his third-placed stablemate in the Group 1 HH The President Cup in Abu Dhabi last time.
“We are delighted and honored that so many people have chosen to aim their horses for the 2026 Saudi Cup races and, on behalf of everyone at the JCSA, I would like to extend our gratitude to those owners and trainers,” Prince Bandar said.
“Year-on-year, thanks to the vision of our leadership, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz and his royal highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the crown prince and prime minister — may God protect them — the Saudi Cup has evolved into The Kingdom’s key sporting and social event.
“It has been especially pleasing to see the races recognised by the international authorities, too. The Saudi Cup has held Group 1 status since 2022 but we will now be staging our first ever Group 1 race on grass, the Neom Turf Cup, after its consistent level of performance.
“The Saudi Cup meeting is not only about world-class racing; it is a celebration of the horse as well as the culture and the hospitality of the Kingdom. The list of nominations only increases the excitement and we look forward to welcoming connections and racing fans alike next month for an event that has quickly made a huge impact on the global calendar.”
