New Delhi: Pakistan’s big loss to Bangladesh in the Rawalpindi test has let fans and experts loose. The match and the players’ performance are now being dissected bit by bit. Some Pakistanis now even want a Bangladesh-like situation in their country so that the cricket team can start delivering. Former cricketer Ramiz Raja went on to credit India for the state of Pakistani cricketers.
A Bangladeshi cricket fan commented on Reddit saying, “Only took a nationwide revolution for us to get competent at cricket”. To which a Pakistani responded, “Maybe we need that as well? Is there a “how to” video somewhere?”
Pakistan’s historic loss to Bangladesh has united South Asian cricket fans who are discussing what went wrong.
Another Bangladeshi user called the entire series ‘Absolute cinema’, to which a Sri Lankan user responded, “Probably the downfall of Pakistan as a great cricketing nation has begun or is this the wakeup call that Pakistan anticipated…”.
The Pakistan cricket team was in for multiple firsts in their final Test match against Bangladesh.
They lost to Bangladesh for the first time ever, they lost for the first time by 10 wickets at home, at a match in which they were fielding an all-pace Test attack for the first time in 28 years and this was the first time, a team lost after declaring at home—they were in the lead and later their order collapsed.
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A confidence crisis
While people had a field day discussing the what, how and why of the ‘wild match’ that ‘came straight out of syllabus with BAN win’, cricketers and commentators chose to weigh in on the serious aspects.
“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,” former cricketer Shahid Afridi wrote on X.
The Pakistan team’s last home Test win was 1,294 days ago, in January 2021. Former Pakistan Cricket Board Chief Ramiz Raja, ironically, pointed to an Indian angle for this “confidence crisis”.
Raja suggested that it began during the Asia Cup, where India exploited their pacers’ weaknesses on seaming pitches.
“This debacle, a sort of a confidence crisis, started during the Asia Cup when India bashed our pacers on seaming conditions and then the secret was out to the world that the only way to counter this line-up was to attack. Their speeds have decreased, and so have their skill set,” Ramiz said on his YouTube channel.
Former cricketer Rashid Latif however pinned the blame on the bowlers.
“There was a time when defeats against teams like Bangladesh were unthinkable. Our bowlers no longer bowl at breakneck pace, which was the root cause of the defeat in Rawalpindi,” Latif said in an interview.
Former Chief Selector and Test cricketer Salahuddin Ahmed Sallu criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board for appointing Azhar Mahmood as head coach, citing his failure to motivate the team, Express Tribune reported.
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Rising up the ranks
This was Bangladesh’s 14th Test match against Pakistan. They’ve lost 12 matches and secured one draw since their first encounter in 2001. With this win, Bangladesh have now defeated nine of the 11 Test-playing nations they have faced, with only India and South Africa remaining unbeaten.
Bangladesh has also surpassed Pakistan on the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 standings. Pakistan dropped to eighth place, with a points percentage of 30.55 after their fourth loss in six games.
Both teams were also fined and docked World Test Championship points for slow over-rates in the first Test at Rawalpindi. Pakistan lost six points and 30 per cent of their match fee, while Bangladesh was penalised three points and 15 per cent of their fee.
The teams will face off again in the second Test at the same venue on 30 August.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)