Pakistan national cricket team legend Shahid Afridi was left fuming after the Shan Masood-led team’s defeat in the first Test of the two-match series against the Bangladesh national cricket team at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
The hosts put up an extremely poor performance with both bat and ball and faced an embarrassing 10-wicket defeat at the hands of the Bangla Tigers.
Pakistan made a lot of mistakes during the match, starting with the preparation of the pitch. PCB prepared a pitch with a green surface and after analysing the surface, the team management introduced a four-man attack, leaving out lone spinner Abrar Ahmed from the team.
This decision backfired as the surface did not provide any support to the pace bowlers and on the fifth day, Bangladesh bowlers dominated. Another major mistake made by Shan Masood and Co. was declaring the innings after scoring 448 for 6.
He played a major role in Pakistan’s defeat as Bangladesh got extra time to bat, which they used very well, and amassed 565 runs to take a good lead that kept Pakistan under pressure.
A 10-wicket defeat raises serious questions – Shahid Afridi
After the conclusion of the match, Shahid Afridi used his official handle X to criticise the Pakistan team management and the PCB for their lack of awareness of local conditions.
Afridi said Pakistan’s horrendous defeat raises serious questions about the pitch preparation and team selection. He also praised the Bangla Tigers for playing a great style of cricket throughout the match.
“A 10-wicket defeat raises serious questions about the decision to prepare this kind of pitch, select four fast bowlers and leave out a specialist bowler. This, to me, clearly shows a lack of awareness about local conditions. Having said that, you cannot take credit away from Bangladesh for the kind of cricket they played throughout the Test,” Afridi said.
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 bowler. To me, this clearly demonstrates a lack of awareness of local conditions. That said, credit cannot be taken away from…
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) August 25, 2024
Shahid Afridi was not the only Pakistan cricketer who openly expressed his disappointment over the team’s defeat as Fawad Alam also took to X to criticise the Pakistan team and called the loss unacceptable.
“Unacceptable! Is Pakistan cricket moving forward or backward? Is this what we call progress? Congratulations Bangladesh, you deserve it,” Fawad Alam wrote on X.
Unacceptable! Is Pakistan cricket moving forward or backward? Is this what we call progress?
Congratulations Bangladesh, well deserved 👍🏼#PAKvBAN
— Fawad Alam (@iamfawadalam25) August 25, 2024
Former Pakistan cricketer Abdur Rauf also launched a scathing attack on the PCB management for their ignorance on cricketing matters in the country. He criticised Shan Masood, Jason Gillespie and the entire coaching staff for not reading the pitch properly and making wrong team selection.
“The PCB management and the brain trust are completely ignorant when it comes to cricket. They failed to prepare the pitch, failed to read the field, failed to select the team, failed to make a plan and execute it and now they have brought Pakistan to the brink of defeat in the first Test match,” Rauf said.
The PCB management and the brain trust are completely ignorant about cricketing matters. They failed to prepare the field, they failed to read the pitch, they failed in team selection, they failed to make a plan and execute it and now they have brought Pakistan to the brink of defeat in the first Test match.
-Abdur Rouf Khan (@AbdurRoufKhan6) August 25, 2024
In a tweet shared after the end of the match, Rauf even called Pakistan a fraud and a corrupt cricket board.
“The end result of every fraudulent, corrupt, conniving and uneducated organisation is the same as that of the Pakistan Cricket Board,” he wrote.
The end result of every fraudulent, corrupt and uneducated organization is the same as that of the Pakistan Cricket Board.
-Abdur Rouf Khan (@AbdurRoufKhan6) August 25, 2024
