India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin does not shy away from a bold comment when talking cricket, and it was no different as he analysed Pakistan’s recent loss to Bangladesh in the first Test at Rawalpindi. Pakistan fell to a dramatic Day 5 defeat, losing to Bangladesh for the first time ever in Tests. In the game, Pakistan captain Shan Masood had declared the first innings at 448, despite the team having lost only six wickets. On a flat wicket, Bangladesh went on to post a higher total, before the Pakistan batting collapsed in the second innings. Ashwin expressed his bamboozlement.
“Teams don’t surrender on a pitch like this. In first-class cricket, strong teams will bat first and hit big,” said Ashwin, speaking on his YouTube channel.
“When I saw the highlights of the match, I understood that it was a proper, tiring collapse on the final day. I haven’t seen that for a long time,” Ashwin admitted.
Ashwin expressed his surprise at how the Pakistan batters got out cheaply in the second innings. Ashwin was highly critical of the Pakistan lower order.
“In the end, when Mohammad Rizwan was staging a fight, Naseem Shah played a shot and got out cheaply. I did not understand what happened. There was nothing on the pitch,” Ashwin said.
Rizwan was the star of Pakistan’s batting throughout the match. He was unbeaten on 171 when Pakistan declared in the first innings, but played a battling 51 amidst difficult circumstances in the second innings.
Former South Africa performance analyst Prasanna Raman, known by the moniker ‘PDogg’, who usually joins Ashwin for his videos, did not mince his words in his critique of the Pakistan batting.
“Bangladesh have no mystery spinners or wrist spinners. There is no threat. If you can’t bat for four sessions on a pitch like that at home, it can mean only one thing. Division 1 and Division 2 cricket needs to be brought in. Otherwise, Test cricket in Pakistan will be destroyed,” said Raman.
Pakistan take on Bangladesh again at Rawalpindi in the second Test on August 30.
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