Pakistan had another disappointing outing as they lost the ODI series against Bangladesh 2-1. The loss came after a poor campaign in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. Pakistan, who were the finalists of the 2022 T20 World Cup 2026 are currently on a massive downfall as the Men in Green failed to qualify for the semifinal of any ICC event till that time.
After reaching the 2021 T20 World Cup semi-final and 2022 final, the team experienced group-stage exits in the 2023 ODI World Cup, 2024 T20 World Cup, 2025 Champions Trophy, and a Super 8 exit in 2026.
In the third and final ODI in Dhaka, Shaheen Shah Afridi-led Pakistan were beaten by 11 runs, which sealed the series in Bangladesh’s favour.
Ahmed Shehzad slammed Mohammad Rizwan
After the defeat, former Pakistan batter Ahmed Shehzad, who was part of their 2009 T20 World Cup squad, criticised senior player Mohammad Rizwan. Rizwan, who was the most experienced player in the ODI squad, had a tough series with the bat, scoring only 58 runs in three matches.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Shehzad questioned Rizwan’s batting and pointed out that he has not improved much despite getting enough time away from the game before this series.
“The balls are just coming in your range, Rizwan sahab. So much time has passed. We have been saying this for quite some time now. The technique is not there. You have your game based on the leg side. Learn he learn start ho gaya. (You have just been learning for so many years now)," Shehzad said.
“What improvement have you made? You weren’t even there in the T20 World Cup squad; you got so much rest. What did you do? Your job was to score centuries against Bangladesh and take the team over the line. You could have shown the selector what mistake they made by keeping you out," he added.
Shehzad didn’t hold back and further said that Rizwan should focus more on performing on the field rather than talking.
“You just keep on talking. You are getting money for playing on the ground, we are here to keep on talking. The people who are selecting you are just not learning. Perform on the ground, don’t talk. There is a huge gap between the bat and the ball. Why aren’t you coming in line? The ball won’t come into your range. Play with a big heart. Ask yourself, are you coming in line with the ball?" he added.
Notably, Rizwan was not part of Pakistan’s squad for the T20 World Cup, where the team was knocked out in the Super 8 stage. He returned to the ODI team for the Bangladesh series but could not make the most of the opportunity.