Pakistan's loss to Bangladesh blamed on overconfidence, poor management

KARACHI: Cricket experts on Sunday dissected Pakistan’s dismal performance against Bangladesh in the Test match that the hosts lost by 10 wickets.

Bangladesh registered their first ever Test win over Pakistan in the series opener in Rawalpindi on Sunday.

Pakistan, who declared their first innings on 448-6, were bowled out for 146 in their second, which left Bangladesh needing 30 runs to go 1-0 up in the two-test series.

Bangladesh openers Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam chased down the target within seven overs.

The second test, also in Rawalpindi, begins on Friday.

'PCB chief, advisers' are to blame

Ahmad Shahzad held those pulling the strings from behind the curtain in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) responsible for the defeat.

“I will not blame players here. I will blame the PCB, its chief and those who have been giving advices for the past 10 to 12 years in the board and do not come forward,” he said.

He said the current PCB management, including PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, was responsible for the dismal performance as it once again incorporated the same players in the team who put personal statistics before the team.

Accountability of senior players

Senior journalist Abdul Majid Bhatti blamed overconfidence and poor planning for the loss and also demanded accountability of senior players, “who could not perform well in the previous 12 to 14 matches”.

“We are selecting Test team on the basis of T20’s performance and T20 team on the basis of ODI performance,” he said lambasting the selectors as well.

Focus on 'personal milestones'

Sports anchorperson Yahya Hussaini appreciated Bangladesh for playing outstanding cricket to win in a match where Pakistan had declared their innings. He said our players’ focus on individual performances cost us the match.

“Look at how their veterans played. How Mushfiqur Rahman took his team out of danger in the first innings and Shakib did his part with the ball to secure victory for their team,” he said.

On the contrary, he alleged, our team players were playing for individual performances.