Pakistan are on the verge of losing the Test series 2-0 to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh maintained their trajectory towards a 2-0 series clean sweep over Pakistan as the fast-bowling pair of Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana bowled their heart out to dismiss the home team for a paltry 172 in their second innings of the ongoing second Test at Rawalpindi on Monday (September 2).
Chasing 185 to win, Bangladesh made a confident start, reaching 42 without loss in just seven overs before bad light and ensuing rain brought an early end to the penultimate day's play.
Heading into the final day, the visitors need 143 more runs with all 10 wickets in hand to seal the series 2-0.
Disappointed by Pakistan’s collapse in the second innings, out-of-favour opener Ahmad Shahzad slammed the batters for their poor shot selection while also adding that they are not learning from mistakes.
“Bangladeshi bowlers strike back. And the Bangladeshi bowlers have once again made the Pakistani batsmen dance to their tunes. The same shot selections that we have been talking about. The T20 shots—we have seen them once again. The bat of the batsman is going so far away from his bat. In T20 cricket or in T10 cricket as well, when a player gets out like this, the coaches ask that this was too much. You are getting out by hitting these shots in Test cricket. You are not learning from your mistakes. Maybe you don’t have the charm or the skills. Or maybe we are making a mistake by putting expectations on you. Or this nation is making a mistake by putting expectations on you. That you are playing with their emotions like this,” Shahzad said in a video uploaded on X.
According to Shahzad, Bangladesh’s 10-wicket triumph in the first Test match wasn’t a fluke as they have replicated their brilliance in the second match as well.
“The Bangladesh cricket Test team has come here. They have defeated you in the first match and made history. After that, they are dominating in the second match as well. This means that this is not a fluke. When you lose to Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, or Ireland, these things are not a fluke. This is the reality of Pakistan cricket. You have brought Pakistan cricket to this level,” he added.
Apart from the players, Shahzad held the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) equally accountable for the poor state of Pakistan cricket.
“I don’t call the players responsible for this. The PCB is equally responsible as the players. Because some things were right in front of us. We had to take some decisions. But we did the same thing that we do every time. We tried to distract the public by talking on TV. After that, we thought that Bangladesh cricket will come. We will definitely defeat them. When we defeat them, the public’s anger will cool down. Then when will we start the Pakistan Cup? Your entire plan has been reversed and has fallen on your face,” he remarked.