Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has raised doubts over the “standard” of Pakistan cricket after they lost the first Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi heavily.
Pakistan succumbed to a 10-wicket defeat against Bangladesh, their first loss against the Asia side. The defeat came owing to some questionable selection calls, of which Pakistan fielding an all-pace attack was the most notable.
The loss was demoralising for the hosts on multiple fronts. First, they racked up 448-6 in the first innings and conceded 565, thanks to a 341-ball 191 from Mushfiqur Rahim. The match looked well set for a certain draw, but Pakistan collapsed in the second innings, getting all out for 146. Bangladesh chased down 30 in 6.3 overs effortlessly to script history.
Pietersen weighed in on the home side's lacklustre performance on his X (formerly Twitter) account, questioning what has gone wrong for them. He opined that the standard of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and the quality of local players in general were "tremendous" when he played in the competition, which leaves him wondering about the decline.
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.
— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) August 26, 2024
What’s happening there?
Pietersen represented the PSL franchise Quetta Gladiators between 2016 and 2018 across 27 matches.
Pietersen not the only ex-cricketer to criticise Pakistan's loss
Pakistan were criticised for the poor display in Rawalpindi, with former cricketer and ex-PCB chair Ramiz Raja being one of the vocal critics. He felt Pakistan’s pace-bowling dominance has been on a decline and lambasted Shan Masood for his captaincy and low batting returns. There has been staunch criticism from other quarters as well, with several former Pakistan players voicing their frustration at the result.
The second and final match of the series will start on August 30, also in Rawalpindi. The match was originally scheduled to be held in Karachi, but construction work in the stadium for the 2025 Champions Trophy led to a change in venue.
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