NEW DELHI:
Abdullah Shafique
received criticism from former Pakistani cricketer
Basit Ali
for his underwhelming performance in the first Test match against
Bangladesh
.
After Bangladesh outplayed
Pakistan
in every aspect of the game, their first-inning decision to declare at 448/6 came back to haunt them.
In
Rawalpindi
, the team captained by
Najmul Hossain Shanto
wrote history with a 10-wicket victory.
Their resounding victory was their first in the Test format against Pakistan.
Bangladesh took a 117-run advantage over the hosts, and that was when Pakistan started to lose. On the fifth day, wickets were falling, but Abdullah Shafique managed to hold onto his end and kept scoring runs.
Having Mohammad Rizwan at the opposite end, Pakistan was poised to score a reasonable amount. But when Shafique attempted to make a careless shot against
Shakib Al Hasan
, all hopes were lost. As he came down the pitch, he attempted to take a big shot but was unsuccessful.
Basit didn't hold back in his criticism of the Pakistani opener, blaming Shafique's dismissal for the team's defeat.
"If I was in the dressing room, I would have told Abdullah Shafique to pack his bags and leave. His shot was the reason Pakistan lost the match. After hitting 37, you are giving away your wicket with such a shot.
Shan Masood
should punish Shafique. This is Pakistan's team, not your local team. They played the wrong combination," Basit said on his YouTube channel, as per ANI.
Not just Shafique handed up his wicket carelessly. Another person who attempted to pursue fame when holding the fort was necessary under the circumstance was Naseem Shah.
"Look at the way Naseem Shah gave away his wicket. This is Pakistan cricket, not street cricket, this happens in England's league cricket," he added.
In addition to players being tricked into making untrue shots, one of the main reasons Pakistan lost was that they were unable to gauge the surface's characteristics.
After excluding Abrar Ahmed from the squad, Pakistan choose to launch an all-out pace attack. Their expectations were not fulfilled by the choice they made. Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, the spin pair from Bangladesh, combined to take nine wickets and give Pakistan a lot of problems.
Basit thinks
Jason Gillespie
, Pakistan's head coach for the Test matches, misjudged the pitch.
"Both Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie lost their opening matches. They both made mistakes. Kirsten made a mistake in the Super Over against the US, and Jason made a mistake in reading the pitch," he noted.
In the second Test, which takes place on August 30 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Pakistan will try to square the series.
English (US) ·