The defeat, a first for Pakistan against Bangladesh in Test cricket, has ignited a debate about captaincy, team selection, and the future of Pakistan’s red-ball cricket.
The match witnessed a dramatic turnaround after Bangladesh, reeling at 26/6 in their first innings, staged a remarkable recovery. Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz emerged as the architects of Bangladesh’s victory, stitching together a match-defining 165-run partnership.
This dramatic shift in momentum has drawn sharp criticism, particularly aimed at captain Shan Masood.
Former cricketer Basit Ali attributed the loss directly to Masood’s captaincy, arguing that his tactical decisions allowed Litton and Mehidy to flourish.
Basit criticized the team’s overall performance as “third-class” and urged Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi to address the team’s shortcomings.
“It was a third-class performance. Pakistan lost the Test match due to captaincy. Captaincy played a key role in the way Litton Das and Mehidy performed after 26/6. There is no need for surgery. The Pakistan team has done surgery on themselves. Mohsin Naqvi should think about this. In the past six months, Pakistan has lost two big events,” Basit explained while speaking on his YouTube channel.
Adding to the chorus of criticism, former opener Ahmed Shehzad questioned Masood’s place in the team, suggesting that his captaincy was the sole reason for his inclusion.
The loss to Bangladesh serves as a stark reminder of the challenges facing Pakistan’s Test team.
With a crucial series against England scheduled for October, the team management faces the daunting task of addressing the identified weaknesses, reassessing team composition, and devising a winning strategy to regain lost ground.
The debate surrounding the captaincy, team selection, and the team’s overall performance is likely to intensify in the coming weeks. How the PCB and the team management respond to this defeat will be crucial in shaping the future of Pakistan’s Test cricket.