'You would need a long memory to recall such an insipid performance by a Caribbean 11,' Peter Deeley wrote in the London Daily Telegraph, characterising the derisive tone of most of the reports.

'If the bowling was adequate Ð and no more Ð the batting lacked character, heart and quality,' he added. 'Quite what West Indies do to turn this three-Test series around defies conjecture.'

Michael Henderson in The Times of London and Samiul Hasan in Dawn, Pakistan's English-language daily, were equally harsh in their comments.

'This is a side short of talent, shorn of spirit and lacking hope,' Henderson reported.

Hasan dwelt on the West IndiesÕ dependence on star batsman Brian Lara.

'The West Indies vulnerability against quality spinners and lack of depth in batting was clearly exposed,' Hasan wrote. 'Clive Lloyd, the West Indies manager, may emphasise that his team doesn't depend on Lara. The fact is the other way round.

'Moreover, except for Carl Hooper, there is no batsman in the West Indies team who could easily walk into any of the top three current Test teams, Australia, South Africa and Pakistan,' he claimed.

Henderson pointed out that Pakistan won in three-and-a-half days without key bowlers Waqar Younis and Saqlain Mushtaq Ð 'who were rested, dropped or whatever you call it' Ð and Salim Malik 'whom the players still regard as their best batsman'.

'In fact, it is possible to pick an alternative 11 that would have given West Indies a good game from the players who were not selected,' he contended.

Henderson was especially contemptuous of the batting of Phil Simmons and Carl Hooper.

Claiming that Man Of The Match Mushtaq Ahmed did not bowl especially well for his ten wickets, Henderson noted that the batsmen were 'utterly foxed by his googly and top spinner, no more so than Simmons, who made two runs in the match and gave every impression of never having held a bat in his life'.

Of Hooper, the man from The Times wrote: 'Hooper is too old a dog to mend his ways and a Test average of 33 suggests he is lucky to remain in the side. What a wastrel he is!'