Image Source: AFP
[Saba Sports News] Pakistan suffered a humiliating 10-wicket defeat against Bangladesh in the first Test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. After a rain-affected first day, Pakistan declared early at 448/6, hoping to restrict Bangladesh to a lower total. However, the visitors excelled with the bat, taking a 117-run lead in the first innings, led by Mushfiqur Rahim’s 191 and solid contributions from Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Litton Das, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
In their second innings, Pakistan was bowled out for just 146, with the pitch starting to favor spinners on the final day. Aside from Mohammad Rizwan, the Pakistani batsmen struggled against Bangladesh’s bowlers, leaving the visitors a simple target of 30 runs, which they chased comfortably.
After the game, Shan Masood admitted that the team misjudged the pitch and had expected more from their pacers. “Never to make an excuse, it (the pitch) didn’t play the way we thought it would… At the end of the day, we got it wrong. Hindsight, looking at the declaration, we wanted to push the game forward,” Masood said in the post-match presentation.
Pakistan will have a chance to redeem themselves in the second and final Test, starting on August 30.