Pakistan Captain Defends Decision as Team Suffers Historic Test Defeat to Bangladesh

Pakistan captain Shan Masood defended the decision to select four pace bowlers and no specialist spinner for the first Test match against Bangladesh, which ended in a disappointing 10-wicket loss for the home side.

This defeat marks Pakistan’s first-ever loss to Bangladesh in Test cricket, a significant milestone in both teams’ histories.

Despite his own poor performance with the bat, Masood asserted that the team’s strategy was based on the expectation that the pitch would provide assistance to seam bowlers. He stated, “We had anticipated the pitch to offer more assistance to the seamers. Looking at the pitch, we expected it to do more.”

Masood explained that their decision to include four fast bowlers was intended to avoid overburdening them, acknowledging, “If we played three fast bowlers, we would be pushing them to the limit and the spinner would be bowling 25-30 overs a day, which we wanted to avoid.”

The captain conceded that the team’s performance was lacking, particularly on the final day when they were dismissed for just 146 runs. He expressed disappointment, saying, “We could have done with more runs but there were also things with the ball and in the field that we could’ve done better.”

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi also criticized the decision to omit a specialist spinner from the lineup and raised concerns about the pitch preparation at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Afridi noted, “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.”

In contrast, Bangladesh’s spin bowlers, Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, played a crucial role in the match, emphasizing the effectiveness of spin bowling conditions on the day.

Looking ahead, Pakistan will face Bangladesh again in the second and final Test on August 30 at the same venue, and the team aims to recover from this historic defeat.