Indian journalist Vikrant Gupta slammed the Pakistan cricket team management for playing four pacers on a pitch where spinners won the game for Bangladesh.
Bangladesh on Sunday defeated the Shan Masood-led home side by 10 wickets in the first test after chasing the 30-run target without losing a wicket in Rawalpindi.
The visitor had bowled Pakistan out for 148 runs during their second innings as spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz returned with the figures of 4-21, Shakib Al Hasan picked three wickets, while Shoriful Islam, Nahid Rana and Hasan Mahmud bagged one each.
Pakistan played four pacers along with all-rounder Salman Ali Agha and Saim Ayub as part-time spinners.
Reacting to Pakistan’s decision to play the game without a frontline spinner, Indian journalist Vikrant Gupta said that the move was a ‘dumb choice.’
“Pakistan cricket going from bad to worse – playing four pacers on a home pitch where their own batsmen have fallen to Bangladesh spinners was a dumb choice; and a striking result. A reflection also of the leadership aspirations creating groups within the ‘team’,” he wrote in a post on X.
Earlier, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi also raised concerns over Pakistan’s strategy following their defeat in the first home Test in Rawalpindi.
Read more: PAK v BAN: Shahid Afridi questions Pakistan’s strategy in first Test
“A 10-wicket defeat raises serious questions about the decision to prepare this type of pitch, select four fast bowlers, and leave out a specialist spinner,” he wrote in a post on X.
It is worth mentioning here that red-ball skipper Shan Masood had admitted that the home side got it wrong by not picking a frontline spinner in the playing XI.
“Looking at the pitch, we expected the pitch to do a bit more. Secondly, I thought with three fast bowlers, you were going to be pushing them to the limit and that would mean that the spinner would also have to operate at around 25-30 overs a day,” he said in a post-match presentation.
