It seems to me that the fun surrounding the Pakistani team will never end. This time around, it involves the 1st Test loss against Bangladesh. This came after a shambolic 2nd innings batting display that led to Bangladesh needing only 30 runs to win - which they did with ease. With this historic win, Bangladesh became the first team to defeat Pakistan by 10 wickets in the hosts' backyard.
This was the 1st time that Bangladesh had defeated Pakistan in Tests. Pakistan's embarrassing loss to the visiting Bangladesh team has sparked strong reactions from former players. Former wicketkeeper-batter, Kamran Akmal, was particularly critical of Pakistan's lackluster performance.
He said on his Youtube channel, "Ye to Rizwan ne 50 kiya aur scoreboard chalaya warna innings se haarte. Ye itni buri haar hai ki bhooli nahi jaegi. Aap kisi ka bura hoga. Aap ne pichle 5 saalon se kuch nahi seekha" - Had Rizwan not scored a 50 and ran the scoreboard, you'd've lost by an innings. You haven't learned anything in the last 5 years.
"Aap Zimbabwe se haar gaye. Pichle saal aap Asia Cup se bahar ho gaye the. Abhi aap itna zaleel hue hain World Cup me, Pakistan cricket ka mazak ban chuka hai globally" - You lost to Zimbabwe. Last year, you were eliminated from the Asia Cup. You were humiliated at the T20 World Cup. Made a complete mockery of Pakistan cricket.
Mushkil time tha Bangladesh ke liye. Unhone bachana tha Test match. Unhone bachaya bhi aur saath mein jeete bhi. Unhone Pakistan ki team ko expose karke rakh diya hai. It was a difficult time for Bangladesh. They had to save the Test match. Not only did they save it but they also won. They have completely exposed Pakistan's team.
Humare players to aise khel rahe the jaise ki club ki team hai. Club ke batsmen bhi aise nahi khelte. Dressing room mein dekha aap ne. Joote utare hue hain, taang pe taang rakhi hui hai. Has bhi rahe hain. Koi fikra nahi kai. Kyun? Kyunki koi puchne wala nahi hai. Aapko fikra hi nahi hai performance ki. Aap maje lene ke liye khel rhe hain" - Our players were playing as if they were a club team. Even club batsmen don’t play like that. Did you see the dressing room? Shoes off, legs crossed and they’re laughing. No worries at all. Why? Because there's no one to hold them accountable. They don't care about their performance. They're just playing for fun.
Soon after The Tigers’ maiden win over Pakistan, social media, was flooded with messages. While there were many who congratulated Bangladesh on their win, others roasted Pakistan for their embarrassing loss.
Former Indian player, Aakash Chopra, wrote on X, "Not many teams go to lose a Test match after declaring their first innings with 400+ runs and 4 wickets to spare. At Home. Pakistan cricket is a gift that keeps giving 🙌.
Former England captain, Michael Vaughan, wrote on X, "What a great win for Bangladesh .. !! high quality performance .. Pakistan really are in a mess ...
Former Pakistan all-rounder, Shahid Afridi, wrote on X, "A 10-wicket defeat raises serious questions about the decision to prepare this type of pitch, select four fast bowlers and leave out a specialist spinner. This to me clearly shows a lack of awareness about home conditions. That said, you cannot take the credit away from Bangladesh for the brand of cricket they played throughout the Test."
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief, Mohsin Naqvi, refused to mince words when asked about his opinion on the team's harrowing 10-wicket defeat against Bangladesh in the Rawalpindi Test. Whether it be the skipper Shan Masood's captaincy, team selection, performances of top batters like Baba Azam or inability of pacers like Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, etc. to deliver with the ball, many factors contributed to Pakistan's embarrassing loss this past Sunday.
Some of the former Pakistan cricketers have even criticised selectors for not picking talented players from the domestic pool. However, PCB boss Naqvi feels that there aren't many quality players in Pakistan's domestic pool to pick from.
"It was a very disappointing loss," Naqvi was quoted as saying by Associated Press on Monday, a day after Bangladesh's embarrassing defeat. "The problem is the selection committee has no pool to turn to."
Naqvi had promised that a "surgery" would be done after Pakistan's early elimination from the T20 World Cup but the same problems cropped up as the team took on Bangladesh at home in the 1st Test. While the PCB chief remains keen to find a solution, he admitted there aren't many quality players to choose from.
"We want to fix our problems," Naqvi said, "but when we look at how to resolve them, we don't have any solid data or (elite) players pool which we can draw from."
The PCB chief admitted that the nation's pool of cricketers lacks 'quality' when asked to share his verdict on the Rawalpindi Test loss against Bangladesh.
After the end of the first match, Pakistan captain, Shan Masood, accepted that mistakes were made by him and the team.
"Never to make an excuse, it (the pitch) didn't play the way we thought it would. Also, the weather had been around in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, it rained around 8-9 days before the first day of play. Firstly looking at the pitch, we expected it to do a bit more. With three pace bowlers, they were gonna be pushed to the limit. At the end of the day, we got it wrong," he had said.
With the loss, Pakistan now share a record with their bitter rivals, India. This loss marks the 17th time in Test cricket that a team has lost after declaring their first innings. Ironically, Pakistan was also the first team to suffer such a defeat.
In a 1961 Test in Lahore against England, they declared at 387-9 but lost by five wickets. The recent defeat in Rawalpindi is Pakistan's third such loss. Before this, they lost to Australia in the 2016 Melbourne Test despite declaring at 443/9 in the first innings.
India also experienced a similar fate in a 1976 Test against the West Indies in Kingston. India declared at 306-6 but captain, Bishan Singh Bedi, tried to protect the tail enders from the West Indies' fast bowlers on a dangerous pitch. Yet, India ended up losing by 10 wickets. Now, Pakistan shares the record with India as the only teams to lose by 10 wickets after declaring their first innings.
With the 2nd Test starting tomorrow (30 August), Pakistan have named their team. A shocking revelation is that Shaheen Shah Afridi isn't part of it.
Shaheen's form, particularly in Test cricket, has been a concern for Pakistan for nearly a year now. He has averaged over 41 in pace-friendly conditions in Australia and took two lower-order wickets for 96 in a forgettable showing in the 1st Test against Bangladesh. His pace, routinely in the mid-140 kph range earlier in his career, has also dipped since his most recent injury last year. While Afridi has attempted to downplay those concerns, his performances with ball have not followed.
Afridi also became a father last week and the fact that hasn't been offered as the main reason for his omission is the clearest evidence this is a drop rather than a rest.
Pakistan continue to suffer from internal issues. I can only speculate that there will be hell to pay if they don't win. The board will be pressured to make changes. It would be an interesting scenario to witness what might occur in the aftermath of a possible Pakistan loss.
However, even if Pakistan win, I believe that questions will still be asked and will be urgently answered. I don't quite know what a solution to this is. I think the only way for all of this mess to disappear is Pakistan winning matches on a consistent basis.