Former England captain Kevin Pietersen expressed his dismay with the current Pakistan cricket squad following Pakistan’s Loss to Bangladesh in the first Test of the series.
Najmul Shanto’s team defeated the hosts by 10 wickets after being set a small target of 30 runs. Bangladesh, who chose to bowl first, began the Test impressively, reducing Shan Masood’s team to 16 for three on the first day. However, middle-order batsman Saud Shakeel (141) and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan (171) made an impressive comeback, leading Pakistan to declare their first innings at 448 for six.
“What has happened to cricket in Pakistan? When I played in the PSL, the league’s standard was exceptional, the players had a great work ethic, and the young talents were outstanding,” Pietersen tweeted.
“What’s going on there?” he questioned.
Pakistan fielded an all-pace attack for the first time in 28 years, but was outplayed by Bangladesh, who scored 565 runs in response, taking a 117-run lead. Mushfiqur Rahim, a veteran, hit 191 off 341 balls, with Shadman Islam (93) and Mehidy Hasan (77) adding substantial contributions.
Pakistan’s fifth-day collapse began with an overnight score of 23 for one. They lost half their team for 104 before spinners Mehidy Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan took seven wickets, dismissing Pakistan to 146.
Bangladesh openers Islam and Zakir Hasan quickly chased down the 30-run target within seven overs. This victory marked Bangladesh’s first Test win over Pakistan in 14 attempts, having previously lost 12 matches and drawn one since their first encounter in 2001. With this win, Bangladesh has now defeated nine of the 11 Test-playing nations they have faced.
Bangladesh are yet to defeat India and South Africa.
Pakistan’s Loss to Bangladesh also means they are very less chance of qualifying to the World Test Championship.
