Shan Masood reflects on Pakistan's historic Test defeat to Bangladesh
Pakistan cricket team's captain, Shan Masood, has expressed his disappointment following the team's embarrassing 10-wicket defeat to Bangladesh in the 1st Test in Rawalpindi. Bangladesh scripted history by recording their maiden Test win over Pakistan as they chased down a nominal 30-run target on Day 5. It was a high-scoring affair as Bangladesh posted 565 after Pakistan surprisingly declared their first innings at 448/6. The hosts struggled in the third innings and could only manage 146.
Here's how the 1st Test panned out
Pakistan declared at 448/6 after they were invited to bat in Rawalpindi. Saim Ayub (56) and Saud Shakeel (141) rescued Pakistan after they were reduced to 16/3. Mohammad Rizwan's 171* later powered the hosts. Bangladesh responded with a mammoth 565, with Mushfiqur Rahim scoring 191. Shadman Islam (93), Litton Das (56) and Mehidy Hasan (77) registered fifties. Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy dented Pakistan's second innings. Although Rizwan's 51 avoided an innings defeat for Pakistan, Bangladesh aced the final day.
Masood admits misreading pitch conditions
In the post-match interview, Pakistan skipper Masood admitted that the team had misread the pitch conditions and overestimated their pacers' performance. He stated, "Never to make an excuse, it (the pitch) didn't play the way we thought it would." He also acknowledged that they could have performed better in both bowling and fielding to keep up with Bangladesh's strong performance.
Assistant coach Mahmood echoes Masood's sentiments
Pakistan's assistant coach Azhar Mahmood echoed Masood's sentiments, stating that the Rawalpindi pitch's behavior was unexpected. He revealed that they had not included a spinner in their line-up due to the grassy pitch, which they believed would favor seamers. However, he admitted that the pitch drying out faster than anticipated significantly altered its playability and contributed to their defeat.
Masood acknowledges strategy missteps in team selection
Masood also conceded that their strategy of selecting four pacers did not yield the desired results. He suggested that there is "always room for a spinner" in the team, hinting at potential changes for future matches. "There's always room for a spinner, we lost Aamer Jamal who does well with both bat and ball," he said. This defeat serves as a valuable lesson for Pakistan as they prepare for the 2nd Test against Bangladesh on August 30.
Historic win for Bangladesh
As mentioned, this was Bangladesh's maiden triumph over Pakistan in red-ball cricket. Pakistan won 12 of the 13 previous Tests against the Tigers (Draw: 1). They also clinched each of their five previous home games against Bangladesh. Meanwhile, Pakistan have now gone nine home Tests without a win. For the first time, they suffered a 10-wicket defeat at home in Tests.
