Pakistan's recent 0-2 defeat to Bangladesh in a two-match Test series marked a historic low for the country. This was the first time Pakistan had lost a Test match and a series to their Asian rivals, leading to widespread disappointment and criticism. The defeat has significantly impacted Pakistan's chances of qualifying for the 2025 World Test Championship (WTC) final. The Shan Masood-led side faced intense backlash from fans and former players, with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also coming under fire. Former Pakistan cricketer Yasir Arafat launched a scathing critique of the PCB, expressing his frustration with the decision-makers. Arafat highlighted the irony of Pakistan preparing for an upcoming Test series against England by participating in the inaugural edition of the Champions Cup, a List A tournament in September.
“This series is ending. 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,” Yasir Arafat said on ‘Pak Passion’ Youtube channel.
"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.
Following the series defeat to Bangladesh, Pakistan captain Shan Masood highlighted a significant contributing factor to the team's struggles in Test cricket: the lack of experience among domestic cricketers in red-ball cricket. Masood emphasized that the limited exposure of domestic players to red-ball cricket had negatively impacted the team's performance.
"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. "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 went on to add," said Masood in a press conference.
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