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Bangladesh created history at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium by defeating Pakistan in the first Test match of the two-game series. This victory marked Bangladesh's first-ever win against Pakistan in 13 encounters. The 10-wicket loss at home significantly impacted Pakistan's chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship final. Captain Shan Masood, following the defeat, addressed the team's much-criticized strategy of fielding four pacers at the Rawalpindi venue. He explained the reasoning behind Pakistan's decision to declare their first innings at 448 for six. Pakistan anticipated that the Rawalpindi pitch would favor fast bowlers, leading them to include four pacers in their lineup. In contrast, Bangladesh had a strong spin-bowling contingent with six options.
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Shan Masood rues Pakistan's humiliating loss to Bangladesh
Despite five days of action, the spinners ultimately proved to be the deciding factor. Both teams' pacers had similar bowling figures, with Pakistan's slightly edging out Bangladesh with nine wickets. However, Bangladesh's spinners claimed nine of the 16 Pakistan wickets that fell across the five days. Seven of these wickets came in Pakistan's second innings, where they were dismissed for just 146 runs, setting Bangladesh a target of 30.
In the post-match presentation, Masood acknowledged that Pakistan had misjudged the pitch.
"Never to make an excuse, it (the pitch) didn't play the way we thought it would. Also the weather it had been around in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, it rained around 8-9 days before the first day of play. Firstly looking at the pitch, we expected it to do a bit more. With three pace bowlers, they were gonna be pushed to the limit. At the end of the day, we got it wrong," Masood said.
Masood further discussed Pakistan's decision to declare their first innings at 448 for six. This declaration proved to be a miscalculation as Bangladesh comfortably surpassed this total on Day 4, finishing with a score of 565 runs.
"Hindsight, looking at the declaration, we wanted to push the game forward. Also with the ball and in the field, we could have done better to keep them at par. It's a misconception, with the way it was going to take a lot. When you are playing for a draw, funny things can happen. A lot can happen under pressure. There have been mistakes and we have to do better when we play next," he added.
The defeat in Rawalpindi has significantly impacted Pakistan's chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship final. Masood had expressed his desire to lead Pakistan to their first-ever WTC final before the series began. With five home Tests, including three against England, Pakistan had the opportunity to improve their position. However, their recent loss has dropped them to the eighth spot in the points table with a PCT of 30.56. Pakistan will conclude their series against Bangladesh with the final match scheduled for August 30th in Rawalpindi.
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