Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has voiced his concerns about the state of Pakistan cricket following their crushing defeat to Bangladesh in the Rawalpindi Test.
Bangladesh delivered a stunning 10-wicket defeat to Pakistan, securing an unbeatable lead in the two-match series. This victory marks Bangladesh’s first-ever Test win against Pakistan, with their previous record consisting of 13 Tests: 12 losses and one draw.
The draw seemed the most likely outcome as day four ended with Bangladesh finishing their first innings. However, Pakistan’s unexpected collapse on the final day allowed Bangladesh to achieve their historic win. Starting the last day at 23 for 1, Pakistan lost five wickets in the first session and were eventually bowled out for just 146 runs. Bangladesh easily chased the 30-run target in under 7 overs without losing a wicket.
In the earlier part of the match, Pakistan had declared their first innings at 448/6, with centuries from Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel. Bangladesh responded with a massive total of 565 runs, thanks to Mushfiqur Rahim’s impressive 191-run innings.
Kevin Pietersen on Pakistan’s shock defeat:
With Pakistan suffering yet another shock defeat, Kevin Pietersen took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his surprise over the state of cricket in the country. Kevin Pietersen also recalled how the standard of Pakistan cricket was ‘tremendous’ when he was playing in the PSL.
“What happened to cricket in Pakistan? When I played the PSL, the standard of that league was tremendous, the players had a very good work ethic and the youngsters on display were magic. What’s happening there?” wrote Kevin Pietersen
2024 goes from bad to worse for Pakistan:
Pakistan’s recent defeat has further compounded their issues over the past year. Their decline has been evident in recent months, with a series of setbacks affecting their cricketing fortunes.
The troubles began in September of the previous year when Pakistan failed to advance to the final of the Asia Cup. This was followed by an early exit from the ODI World Cup, prompting Babar Azam to step down as captain across all formats.
Shaheen Afridi and Shan Masood were appointed as the T20I and Test captains, respectively. Despite these changes, Pakistan’s situation did not improve. They went on to lose a Test series in Australia and a T20I series in New Zealand.
Earlier this year, Babar Azam was reinstated as the T20I captain ahead of the T20 World Cup, but the decision proved ineffective. Pakistan faced surprising defeats against the USA and eventual champions India, resulting in their elimination from the tournament at the group stage.
