Pakistan’s embarrassing test series whitewash against Bangladesh has been heavily criticized at home. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Pakistan’s embarrassing test series whitewash against Bangladesh has been heavily criticized at home, with former captain Ramiz Raja calling for an explanation from red-ball captain Shan Masood and senior players.

“Pakistan cricket sunk in Bay of Bengal,” read a headline in leading Urdu language newspaper Daily Jang on Wednesday, September 4, 2024.

Bangladesh jumped three places to No. 4 in the ICC World Test Championship with back-to-back victories against Pakistan, which is lying at No. 8 just above last-placed West Indies.

Masood blamed lack of fitness and long gaps between test matches among the reasons for the debacle against Bangladesh as he suffered a second successive whitewash after losing 3-0 to Australia earlier this year.

“It’s the job of the leader to fight,” Raja said on his YouTube channel Ramiz Speaks. “Agreed he (Masood) is a young captain, agreed the bowling attack was young, but he had picked up this bowling attack.”

Bangladesh quashed all of Pakistan’s plans during its historic achievement in test cricket as Pakistan faced a 10-wicket defeat in the first test after it opted to go with four fast bowlers – including new-ball pair of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah.

Pakistan’s ploy to rest both Afridi and Naseem for the second test and try their three premier domestic pace bowlers — Mir Hamza, Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Ali — also couldn’t turn the result as Bangladesh romped to a six-wicket win on Tuesday to seal the epic series win.

Khurram and Hamza had floored Bangladesh to 26-6 in the first innings but Litton Das’ 138 and Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s 78 led an improbable fightback.

“It’s a first-class bowling attack, not a test cricket bowling attack,” Raja said. There are question marks on Masood’s own batting form as the left-hander scored only one half-century against Bangladesh while his last test century came against England in 2020.

“He has to answer about his own performance,” Raja said. “He is not scoring and the way Bangladesh squeezed, somebody has to be called for explanation, senior players needs to explain.”

There has been a sharp decline in Pakistan’s performances this year — both in red-ball and white-ball cricket. The introduction of foreign coaches has made no impact with Pakistan losing to co-host United States and India at the T20 World Cup to make an early exit under head coach Gary Kirsten of South Africa.

Jason Gillespie took over as head coach of red-ball cricket, but the former Australian fast bowler failed in his first assignment against Bangladesh.

“I fail to understand why we always bring in foreign coaches,” said another former captain Rashid Latif.

Raja said Pakistan cricket fans have started to lose interest in their team.

“Lots of fans are disheartened,” he said. “Why do someone watch Pakistan’s test cricket, because when you surf television channels and watch quality and classy cricket elsewhere, why should someone stop and watch how low can they (Pakistan cricketers) go.”

Pakistan’s top-order batters have long been struggling — especially Babar Azam, who hasn’t scored a half century in his last 16 innings. Left-hander Saud Shakeel had a promising start, but let the team down against Bangladesh. Opener Abdullah Shafique could score only 43 in four innings against Bangladesh and added to Pakistan batting woes.

“Only (Mohammad) Rizwan fights,” Raja said. “The overall (cricket) structure is shaken and when the foundation is shaken, sponsors are shaken, fans are shaken and expectations are dead.”

Pakistan has little time to recover, with England lined up for a three-test series next month in Pakistan.

“They (players) have to take onus,” Raja said. “This is the season to make a name. You have to get yourself up mentally and there are no excuses. … When there’s no blame game, only then you can go upward.”

Ground staff cover the pitch after game stop due to bad light during the fourth day of second test cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on September 2, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Rain halted Bangladesh’s bid for a clean sweep against Pakistan after young pace bowlers Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana rattled the hosts for 172 on Day 4 in the second test on Monday (September 2, 2024).

Bangladesh had scampered to 42-0 in seven overs before bad light, followed by rain, allowed only one over of play in the final session on Day 4. The tourists will be needing another 143 runs for a rare test series win away from home.

Bangladesh has won just one bilateral test series outside home — beating the West Indies in 2009 — but won the first test by 10 wickets for its first ever test victory against Pakistan in 14 matches.

The 24-year-old Mahmud grabbed 5-43 while 21-year-old Rana chipped in with 4-44 as Pakistan was bowled out half an hour before tea for an overall lead of 184.

Under overcast conditions, Bangladesh openers Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam scored at a rapid pace before rain arrived. Zakir was unbeaten on 31 off 23 balls that included two pulled sixes against fast bowler Khurram Shahzad and Shadman Islam was not out on 9.

A resilient century from Litton Das and equally splendid half century from Mehidy Hasan Miraz allowed Pakistan a slender first innings lead of 12 runs after the tourists had collapsed to 26-6 on Day 3.

The Pakistani top order’s long struggle in red-ball cricket has seen it lose five of the last nine test matches at home with its last win coming against South Africa in December 2021. The other four test matches were drawn.

Babar Azam’s (11) poor run of form in test matches stretched to seven games when he fell to Rana for the second time in the series as the tall fast bowler rattled the top order by claiming three wickets in his first three overs.

Top-scorer Salman Ali Agha (47 not out) and Mohammad Rizwan (43) led the recovery with a half century partnership after Rana’s burst had reduced the home team to 81-6 in the first session, before Mahmud sliced through the lower order.

Mahmud was a on a hat trick when he had Rizwan caught behind after the break and followed it up with another brilliant ball that found the outside edge of Mohammad Ali’s bat. But Salman added a vital 36 runs in the company of tailenders before Mahmud completed a five-for by claiming the last wicket.

Earlier, Rana could have ended the first session with four wickets but Rizwan was dropped in the slips cordon. Rana came to the fore after Taskin provided the breakthrough when skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto dived low to his left and grabbed a two-handed catch to dismiss Saim Ayub for 20.

Skipper Shan Masood struck four boundaries in his 28 before Pakistan’s innings crashed against Rana’s pace. Masood and Saud Shakeel got slight edges and Pakistan’s premier batter Babar edged to Shadman at slip after struggling for 18 balls. Shadman dropped a regulation chance on the next ball to give Rizwan a big reprieve as Pakistan went to lunch at 117-6.

Babar has been going through a poor run of form and it’s now been eight test matches since he posted a half-century. His top score in that time was 41 against Australia at Melbourne last year.

Both teams are near the bottom of the World Test Championship, with Bangladesh occupying seventh spot and Pakistan just ahead of last-placed West Indies.