Kevin Pietersen on the left and Bangladesh players after winning against Pakistan. (FILE/Agencies)
On Sunday Bangladesh beat Pakistan for the first time in a Test match at Rawalpindi. Since the return of cricket to Pakistan the only Test series Men in Green have won is against South Africa.
Pakistan have either drawn or lost the remainder of the series. Former England player Kevin Pietersen took to X (Formerly known as Twitter) to express his concern.
“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,” Pietersen tweeted.
“What’s happening there?” he asked.
A 10-wicket win in the end
Najmul Shanto’s side beat the hosts by 10 wickets after being set a modest target of 30. Opting to field first, Bangladesh had started the Test on a high, leaving Shan Masood’s men reeling at 16 for three on the opening day.
However, riding on middle-order batter Saud Shakeel (141) and wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan’s (171) rearguard centuries, Pakistan declared the first-innings at 448 for six.
Fielding an all-pace Test attack for the first time in 28 years, Pakistan were then put on the backfoot by Bangladesh as they racked up 565 in reply, earning a 117-run lead.
Veteran Mushfiqur Rahim struck a 341-ball 191, backed by able fifties from Shadman Islam (93) and Mehidy Hasan (77) to fend off Pakistan.
Pakistan suffered a precipitous collapse on Day 5 morning after carrying over from their overnight total of 23 for 1.
Pakistan lost half their man for 104 before spinners Mehidy Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan snared seven wickets to bundle Pakistan out for a paltry 146.
Bangladesh openers Islam and Zakir Hasan then erased the 30-run deficit within seven overs.
The win marked Bangladesh’s first Test win over Pakistan in 14 attempts. They had previously lost 12 matches while securing a solitary draw since their first meeting in 2001. Bangladesh have now beaten nine of the 11-Test playing teams they met.
Bangladesh are yet to register a win over India and South Africa.
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