'Clearly shows a lack of awareness about home conditions' - Shahid Afridi frustrated by Pakistan's shambolic 10-wicket defeat against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi Test
Afridi highlighted the concern of not picking a specialist spinner in the first Test.
Bangladesh achieved a historic feat by beating Pakistan for the first time in Test history, with their latest win in the Rawalpindi Test of the three-match series. The visiting side won the game by all the wickets remaining in the second innings, chasing a shabby 30-run target. The win not only brought smiles to the nation, currently suffering due to political and geographical turmoils, but also bettered the Bangla Tigers' position at the World Test Championship 2023-25 Points Table.
As sweet as the victory sounded to the visitng side, the hosts Pakistan were disheartened even more, as the loss came after declaration in the first innings. As the declaration usually hints that the team believes that it is dominant enough to win the match from that position, the decision eventually backfired on the Shan Masood-led side.
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Meanwhile, former Pakistan cricketer and skipper, Shahid Afridi, expressed utter disappointment by the performance put up by the side on home conditions. The former cricketer also highlighted the decision to enter the field without a specialist spinner, and the lack of awareness put on display by the Pakistani side. Afridi took to social media and wrote his honest opinion with the cricketing fraternity.
"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. That said, you cannot take the credit away from Bangladesh for the brand of cricket they played throughout the Test," Shahid Afridi posted on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Speaking more about the match, the biggest highlight of the game was the gritty and dominant knock by experienced wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim in Bangladesh's first innings. Rahim's stay at the crease lasted for 191 runs, and it was enough a contribution to achieve a lead against Pakistan 448/6d. Rahim's counterpart, Mohammad Rizwan also scored a solid 171, followed by another half-century in the second innings, but others failed to show any sort of positive intent.
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