Pakistan’s red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie defended the team selection after the debacle against Bangladesh, emphasizing that the conditions and pitch surface influenced their decision to field pacers Mir Hamza, Khurram Shahzad, and Mohammad Ali.
Pakistan’s cricket team faced a stunning 2-0 series defeat at the hands of Bangladesh, marking their first-ever series loss to the Asian side.
The second Test, held at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, saw the hosts fall by six wickets, with the decision to bench star pacers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah drawing significant scrutiny.
Despite reducing Bangladesh to 26/6 at one point, Pakistan failed to capitalize, allowing the visitors to claw back into the game. “At that point, not many people were talking about selection,” Jason Gillespie remarked, emphasizing that the chosen attack was believed to be the best fit for the conditions.
The series decider saw Bangladesh chase down a 185-run target on day five, with veterans Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan guiding their team to victory.
Opener Zakir Hasan set the tone with a brisk 40 off 39 balls before departing, and contributions from Shadman Islam, Najmul Hossain Shanto, and Mominul Haque further solidified Bangladesh’s position.
With this defeat, Pakistan has now lost five consecutive Tests, three against Australia and two against Bangladesh, placing them eighth on the World Test Championship points table.
The series outcome has intensified discussions on team selection and strategy as Pakistan looks to recover from this disappointing performance.
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