Pak, Azhar under fire

The Pakistan cricket team have been facing criticism from all corners after their 169-run defeat to England at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.

The hosts piled on a world record 444 for 3, with Pakistan falling massively short in response and succumbing to a third consecutive loss in the 5-match series, which still has two games left.

Pakistan captain Azhar Ali, who has come under fire from the media and former players, accepted his own side's fielding had been well below the required standard.

"It was an exceptional innings from Alex Hales and Jos Buttler," he said. "I think 444 is a bit too much.

"I think we missed some key chances -- especially that [Wahab Riaz] no-ball when we would have got rid of Alex Hales on about 70.

"We didn't start well, and there's no excuse for that. Those fielding lapses didn't send a good message."

Meanwhile, former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif layered severe criticism on Pakistan for their below par performance against England, saying that the hosts were 'still 20 to 30 runs short'.

“In my opinion, England were 20 to 30 runs short as their batsmen had gotten tired by spanking boundaries. They may go on to score more than 444 in the remaining two matches.”

However, Rashid saw a silver lining in the defeat.

 “Had England put up 300 and Pakistan lost the match by 50, it would not have had such an impact. With such a heavy drubbing, there are chances of changes in Pakistan cricket.”