Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali believes Shaheen Afridi should be rested following another disappointing performance in the 10-wicket defeat to Bangladesh in the opening Test. Shaheen, who took two wickets for 88 runs in the first innings of the Test, failed to make a significant impact with the new ball. His two wickets came towards the end of the innings, dismissing Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Hasan Mahmud.
Basit Ali tears into Shaheen Afridi
The left-arm pacer's struggles have been evident since the T20 World Cup earlier this year. The 24-year-old managed to take only five wickets in four matches at an average of 21.00.
"Shaheen Afridi should be rested 100 per cent. He should go and play first-class cricket. He should be rested. Ali S put in a lot of effort. Pakistan failed in bowling, fielding and batting. They beat us in all departments. It is wrong to say that the team had a bad day," Basit said on his YouTube channel.
While Pakistan grappled with the reasons behind their defeat, Bangladesh celebrated a historic milestone. The Tigers' victory against Pakistan marked their first win in 14 encounters between the two teams. Prior to this, Bangladesh had suffered 12 defeats and managed only one draw against Pakistan. India and South Africa remain the only two teams that Bangladesh has yet to defeat in Test cricket.
Talking about the match, Pakistan made a strong start on a batting-friendly wicket, with Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan both scoring centuries. The team declared their innings at 448 runs. In response, Bangladesh's Mushfiqur Rahim and Shadman Islam put on a formidable partnership, taking their team's total to 565 runs before being bowled out. Bangladesh's 117-run first-innings lead gave them a significant advantage going into the second innings. On Day 5, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Shakib al Hasan bowled impressively, taking seven wickets between them and restricting Pakistan to 146 runs.
Bangladesh needed just 30 runs to secure a victory, and they achieved it with ease. Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam remained unbeaten as Bangladesh claimed a 10-wicket win
The resounding 10-wicket victory provided Bangladesh with a significant boost in the ICC World Test Championship standings. They surpassed both Pakistan and South Africa, climbing to the sixth position. Bangladesh now shares the same point percentage with Sri Lanka. As a consequence of their loss, Pakistan dropped to eighth place with a point percentage of 30.56.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
