Pakistan captain Shan Masood defended his team’s decision to field four pace bowlers and no specialist spinner in the first Test against Bangladesh, a match they lost by 10 wickets. This defeat marked Pakistan’s first-ever loss to Bangladesh in Test cricket.
In a post-match press conference, Masood addressed the strategy that led to the defeat, where Bangladesh’s spinners Shakib al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz combined for seven wickets on the final day, dismissing Pakistan for just 146 runs. Masood maintained that the decision was based on the pitch conditions and weather forecasts, which had led the team to believe that the pitch would offer more assistance to seamers.
“We anticipated the pitch to offer more help to the fast bowlers,” Masood explained. “We felt that playing three fast bowlers would push them to their limits, and the spinner would be bowling 25-30 overs a day, which we wanted to avoid. We also considered that with the weather, the match might not last the full five days. At the end of the day, we got it wrong.”
Regarding the decision to declare Pakistan’s first innings at 448 for six, Masood said the intention was to push for a result. “We wanted to go for a win and felt we had enough runs on the board to declare,” he said. “However, Bangladesh’s batters showed great discipline and intent, particularly Mushfiqur Rahim and Miraz, who batted exceptionally well.”
Pakistan’s strategy did not pay off as they collapsed in their second innings, losing their last eight wickets for just 81 runs. Bangladesh’s openers, Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam, efficiently chased down the 30-run target in just 6.3 overs without losing a wicket.
Masood acknowledged that the defeat was not an ideal start to the home season, which includes seven Tests at home and two away matches in South Africa. He emphasized the need to correct the mistakes and aim to level the series in the ongoing World Test Championship.
The defeat to Bangladesh is Shan Masood’s fourth consecutive loss as captain, following a 0-3 whitewash by Australia last winter.
