Shahid Afridi Expresses Concerns About Pakistan Test Captain Shaan Masood And Team Management

New Delhi: Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has criticized current Test captain Shan Masood and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) following a crushing 10-wicket defeat against Bangladesh in the first match of the series. This loss marked Pakistan's first-ever defeat against Bangladesh in Test cricket history, with the teams having previously played each other 14 times. The defeat has left Pakistan trailing 1-0 in the two-Test series.

Afridi, raised some “serious questions”, and slammed PCB over the preparation of pitch of the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium and also criticized Masood and the team management for not picking a single specialist spinner for the Test match.

“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,” he tweeted.

The legendary Pakistani figure, however, made sure to extend his congratulations to Bangladesh for their historic achievement. This 10-wicket triumph marked Bangladesh’s most significant victory in Test cricket history. “That said, you cannot take the credit away from Bangladesh for the brand of cricket they played throughout the Test,” he added.

The first Test bowling attack that Pakistan fielded was one with four fast bowlers—Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, and Mohammad Ali—with no specialist spinner among them. Bangladesh, on the other hand, had six spin-bowling options available. It is these spinners who are to prove decisive in this game.

Bangladesh’s spinners claimed nine wickets overall, while Pakistan’s bowlers failed to take any. In the second innings, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Shakib Al Hasan shared seven of those wickets, bowling out the hosts for a mere 146 runs—Pakistan’s lowest innings total against Bangladesh in a Test match.

During the post-match presentation, Masood acknowledged that Pakistan had misjudged the pitch, explaining the rationale behind their strategy. He admitted that their decision to field four fast bowlers without a specialist spinner was a mistake in light of how the surface played out. He said: “Never to make an excuse, it (the pitch) didn’t play the way we thought it would. Also the weather it had been around in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, it rained around 8-9 days before the first day of play. Firstly looking at the pitch, we expected it to do a bit more. With three pace bowlers, they were gonna be pushed to the limit. At the end of the day, we got it wrong.”

Pakistan will play the second and final Test against Bangladesh on August 30 at the same venue.