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KEY TAKEAWAYS: - Wasim Akram said he predicted a 3-0 whitewash before the England series began. - He argued Pakistan's problems run deeper than the current playing group. - Babar Azam revealed he was not consulted on the seven changes made mid-tour. For Wasim Akram, a 3-0 whitewash by England is not really surprising Wasim Akram belongs to a generation of Pakistan cricketers who beat England on their own soil three series running, a feat the current side has not come close to repeating since 1996. So when he says he saw this whitewash coming before a ball was bowled, it carries the weight of someone measuring the present against a standard he helped set. Pakistan arrive at the final Test of this series already 2-0 down, having been dismantled at Headingley and Lord's before a mid-tour overhaul sent seven players home and cost two coaches their jobs. Speaking to The Athletic, Akram made clear he views none of this as a shock but as the entirely predictable outcome of problems that have been building for years. His comments went beyond a simple prediction, extending into a wider argument about where Pakistan cricket has actually gone wrong. MORE: LIVE: England vs Pakistan 3rd Test, Day 1 - Live score, updates, highlights, result from Edgbaston Why Wasim Akram says Pakistan's problems run deeper than the players Akram was unequivocal about how early he had reached his conclusion on this series. "I knew before the series we were going to lose 3-0 to England," he said. "Our batting is struggling, our bowling is below average and our fielding is worse. It's not rocket science." His central argument was that the current playing group represents the ceiling of what Pakistan's system can currently produce, rather than a temporary dip from a squad capable of more. He said he is frequently approached for solutions but sees the issue as structural rather than a matter of selection. "I get asked all the time, Can you do something to help Pakistan cricket? But the issues are a lot deeper. These are the top players; there's nothing else there," Akram said. He was equally blunt about the domestic pipeline feeding the national side. "The systems aren't there below that. The first-class structure domestically has been all over the place the last few years, and there's no consistency, no patience," he added, also criticising fans who expect immediate turnarounds despite a system he believes has been stripped of continuity through constant reshuffling. MORE: 'Pakistan collapsing on a flat pitch at Edgbaston': Nasser Hussain's brutal jibe live on TV Why Akram's diagnosis is harder to dismiss than the usual criticism Plenty of former players have criticised the current Pakistan side, but Akram's framing is notable because it removes the easy targets. He is not blaming Babar, Sarfaraz, or any individual selection call but arguing that the entire pipeline beneath the national team has been mismanaged for years, leaving coaches and captains to work with whatever talent happens to emerge rather than a system built to develop it. That diagnosis is harder to fix than sacking a coach or dropping a batter, which may be exactly why it keeps getting ignored in favour of the reactive changes Pakistan have made this series. If Akram is right that the current group is genuinely the best available, then no amount of reshuffling at the senior level will change the results until the structure underneath it does. For all the latest cricket news, opinion, and commentary and to share your voice, head to our Facebook, Instagram, and X (Twitter) pages.