Pakistan captain Shan Masood on Tuesday admitted that his team has been making the same mistakes over and over again in red-ball cricket which has led to their downfall in the format after yet another defeat against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi.
Najmul Hossain Shanto’s team became the first from Bangladesh to win a Test series in Pakistan after their 6-wicket triumph in the final match at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Day 5.
Pakistan haven’t won their last 10 Tests at home, losing 6 and drawing 4, and has now lost a Test series at home against each of the 10 oldest Full member teams.
This is also the second time that Pakistan has been whitewashed by the opposition in Test cricket on home soil with England being the first team after Bangladesh to achieve the feat.
Shan Masood becomes 1st Pak captain to lose first 5 Tests
Masood, who tried to put up a brave face despite the humiliation on home soil after the match, apologised to Pakistan cricket fans at the post-match press conference.
“We apologise to the nation. Our common goal should be to work for the betterment of Pakistan cricket.
“Extremely disappointed, we were excited for the home season. The story has been the same as Australia, we have not learnt our lessons. We taught we were playing good cricket in Australia but not doing the job, that’s something we need to work on.
“It has happened 4 times in my tenure that we have left the team back into the contest when we were dominating,” he said after becoming the first Pakistan captain to lose his first 5 Tests.
Captain’s conundrum and learnings from the defeat
The 34-year-old called for better fitness from his players and expressed hope that their graph will only go up after hitting rock-bottom against Bangladesh.
“It isn’t all doom and gloom, there are always learnings. We need to get fitter, neater and prepare better. It is going to be a long Test and domestic season and we need to be better prepared for England,” Masood said as they prepare to host England next in a series of 3 Tests from October 7.
Pakistan’s chances of reaching the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final also took a massive hit after this defeat. The team is languishing in 8th position, just ahead of last-placed West Indies with 5 losses from 7 games so far.
Captain Shan Masood’s lack of runs has added to his nightmarish run as the leader as he has now lost all five Tests at home, and he was not helped by the struggles of senior batter Babar Azam.
However, the word is that red-ball coach Jason Gillispie and his white-ball counterpart Gary Kirsten have advised the PCB and selectors to not press the p.c button as it will further dent the confidence of the players.
