When Pakistan released spinner Abrar Ahmed to play for Pakistan Shaheens and announced playing XI with four seamers for first Test against Bangladesh, many criticised the move. While Shan Masood felt that Rawalpindi pitch will favour the seamers, it did not play the way he expected it to be. Pakistan pacers toiled hard in the middle and managed to take just four wickets on Day 3. Bangladesh posted 565 on the board and won the game by 10 wickets scripting history. After the comprehensive defeat, Masood revealed that Aamer Jamal’s absence led to them going with four seamers and benching Abrar.
“There's always room for a spinner, we lost Aamer Jamal who does well with both bat and ball. In Sydney, Sajid Khan played, going with four pacers didn't work in this game. There have been different pitches produced, it's a huge lesson for us on what to expect from our own conditions. The key is to consider the conditions and not make the same mistakes we have made here,” Masood said in the post-match presentation.
Masood wanted more from the pitch
Masood admitted that the team made mistakes but the nature of the pitch player a major part. He also talked about his decision to declare before they could cross the 500-run mark.
“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,” the skipper said.
“At the end of the day, we got it wrong. 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,” the 34-year-old added.
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Pakistan slip further on WTC table
Pakistan slipped to the eighth spot on World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 points table after facing their fourth defeat in the current cycle. They will face Bangladesh at the same venue in the second Test starting August 30.
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