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Pakistan test cricketers criticized at home after debacle against Bangladesh
The Hindu
Former captain criticizes Pakistan's test series whitewash, calls for explanation from captain and senior players.
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.