Pakistan suffered a 2-0 whitewash in the recently held home Test series against Bangladesh. While the Shan Masood-led side lost the opening Test in Rawalpindi by 10 wickets, they succumbed to a six-wicket defeat in the second match at the same venue.
As a result of these losses, Pakistan's prospects of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) final have taken a major dent.
No wonder, the Pakistan team and the country’s cricket board (PCB) is facing backlash from the fans, experts and former cricketers alike.
Recently, former pacer Yasir Arafat expressed his frustration with the PCB, stating that the team should prioritize preparation for red-ball matches but the board is busy in organizing the Champions Cup – a List A tournament.
Notably, Pakistan are due to host England in a three-match Test series, starting on October 7 in Multan. The second Test will be played in Karachi from October 15, while Rawalpindi will host the third and final Test from October 24.
"Your grey areas have been highlighted. Fitness issues, technique issues, and pitches. Today I heard Jason Gillespie and the high-performance coach are going back to Australia. You are conducting an ODI tournament. These decisions I don't understand. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is a circus," Arafat said on YouTube.
"There are jokers in that, and this is a joke. You have a Test series against England coming up, and you are bringing players for ODIs. Shan Masood is saying in a press conference that our players have not played first-class cricket for 1.5 years. You have a big series against England coming up, and you are playing ODIs. This looks like a circus to me. The people who are working are jokers, and their decisions are jokes," he added.
Meanwhile, multiple reports have claimed that the PCB is planning to consider alternatives such as Sri Lanka or the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for hosting Pakistan's Test series against England.
After losing to Sri Lanka Shan Masood acknowledged that his team was not adequately prepared for the demands of Test cricket.
"Bangladesh have two players who have played 70-90 Tests (Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahman), and Litton [Das] and Mehidy [Hasan Miraz] have played close to 40. We need the same level of red-ball exposure. Test cricket is the ultimate format of the game. You need experience. We need more Test and red-ball cricket," Masood said.
"Whatever format you play is the format for which you'll produce players. You can't play more T20 cricket and get Test players. You can't prepare for science and then sit for a maths exam. If you're being tested for maths, you study maths. To play red-ball cricket, you must play red-ball cricket," the Pakistan captain added.
