Bangladesh has accomplished a historic feat by sweeping Pakistan 2-0 in the Test series. With this incredible achievement, an Asian team has won a Test series on Pakistani soil without losing a single game.
Bangladesh’s series victory is historic and shows how far they have come in Test cricket.
The Bangladeshi cricket team completed the series 2-0 as they maintained their incredible run in Pakistan, winning their second straight Test match. Bangladesh caused a defeat that Pakistan and the cricket world as a whole would remember for years to come when they went on to clinch a clean sweep against an Asian team at home for the first time. When playing Test cricket away from home, Bangladesh hasn’t been the best team. Their lone victory in the longest format of the game came against the West Indies in 2009 (during a series of two or more Test matches).
In the second Test of the series, Pakistan fell short of expectations despite being eager to recover from a 10-wicket loss in the first Test. The hosts lost their second Test sweep at home in three years due to similar batting and bowling problems. Pakistan had previously lost to England 0–3 at home during their 2022 tour.
In the second Test, Pakistan is believed to have performed admirably, reaching 274/10 in the opening session with half-centuries from Agha Salman, Shan Masood, and Saim Ayyub. But others, including Mohammad Rizwan (29), Saud Shakeel (16), Abdullah Shafique (0), and Babar Azam (31), were unable to score.
Chasing the total, Bangladesh began off poorly, losing 6 wickets for just 26 runs before Litton Das produced a counter-attacking century to lift the team to a total of 262 before Bangladesh were bowled out. In the second innings, Bangladesh bowler did quite well, bundling out Pakistan for 172, with Hasan Mahmud getting a 5-wicket haul.
Bangladesh had some difficulties at the bat in the second innings, but they managed to easily chase down the goal of 185 runs with six wickets remaining.
“Just believed in myself, Pakistan bowled well in that spell but me and Miraz wanted to just bat long,” stated Litton Das, the Player of the Match for Bangladesh, following the series victory. The momentum changed after he hit a four and a six. I took my time and wanted to play as many overs as I could because I didn’t have many scoring opportunities when Hasan arrived.
“Hasan deserves praise as well for his excellent batting. I enjoy keeping wicket in Tests because it’s my job, and the team does well when I play well behind the wicket. Things at home weren’t up to par when we arrived, so we came here and worked really hard at practicing. It’s all about working as a team; the coaching staff deserves praise as well. Playing in this kind of heat is not easy.”
In the match, Pakistan seemed to have truly missed their star pacer, Shaheen Shah Afridi. The birth of his son caused him to withdraw from consideration for the second Test. The loss to Bangladesh will be remembered as a tragic episode in the country’s history. Bangladesh became the first Asian team to sweep Pakistan in their own home Test series.
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Pakistan Cricket Legends Criticize Team After 0-2 Series Loss to Bangladesh
The second Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh ended in a six-wicket loss, sending the national team into collapse. The veterans described the 0-2 series loss as “hurting.” In addition to being Bangladesh’s first series and Test victory over their neighbors, it was Pakistan’s sixth loss in their previous ten Test matches played at home. “That our cricket has reached this point hurts.
Bangladesh should be commended for their well-managed performances. However, our batting meltdown in this series is concerning, according to former Test captain Javed Miandad.
“It is hurting that our cricket has come to this stage. Bangladesh deserve credit for their disciplined performances. But the way our batting has collapsed in this series is a bad sign,” former Pakistan Test captain Javed Miandad Stated.
Bangladesh’s batsmen dominated the second innings of the second Test, while Pakistan rested Naseem Shah and removed bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi from the eleven.
In the first innings, Pakistan had Bangladesh down 26 for 6, but a remarkable combination between centurion Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz saved their team. Miandad believed that the Pakistan board’s squabbling had caused the players to lose confidence.
He stated, “I wouldn’t just blame the players because the team has been impacted by everything that has happened in the last 1.5 years with the PCB, including changes in management and captaincy.”
Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former captain, noted that losing three series and having lost all nine Test matches at home was a concerning record.
“Home series were always thought to be our best opportunity to defeat the most accomplished teams in the past. However, runs must be scored by the batters for this to occur,” he stated.
Younis Khan, the record-breaking batsman for Pakistan, stated that it becomes mentally challenging for a team to recover when they are on a losing run.
“Our batters have had success in the past, but I believe that in order to get through this crisis, they currently need mental toughness and clarity,” he stated.
However, Ahmed Shezad, a former Test batsman, criticized the hitters, accusing them of hopping around when facing Bangladeshi pacers.
“Our future is not very bright if you can’t handle a little pace and movement, even at home,” he remarked.
Iqbal Qasim, a former Test spinner, requested that the team management develop the current and future spinners because they were Pakistan’s best chance of succeeding at home if they could get pitches that would help them out.
“Right now, we don’t have bowlers with the caliber of Imran Khan, Sarfaraz Nawaz, Wasim Akram, Waqar, or Shoaib. Therefore, we ought to rely on our spinners to win us the Tests at home. Pakistan’s chances of making it to the World Test Championship final seem to have vanished with their most recent setback.
The fact that captain Shan Masood has now lost all five Test matches at home due to his lack of runs has compounded his miserable tenure as the team’s leader. Senior batsman Babar Azam’s difficulties have also not helped.
However, rumors have it that selectors and the PCB have been told not to panic because doing so will further undermine the players’ confidence by white-ball coach Gary Kirsten and red-ball coach Jason Gillispie.
Gillispie and Tim Nielsen, the high-performance coach, will take a quick flight back to Australia in the interim.