‘Isko sack kab karoge?’: Pakistan captain faces backlash

New Delhi: Jean Massoud He found himself at the center of massive criticism on social media after Pakistan suffered a 104-run defeat to Bangladesh in the first Test of the two-match series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.The defeat marked Pakistan’s third consecutive Test loss to Bangladesh and gave Bangladesh its first home Test victory over Pakistan.

As Bangladesh celebrated a historic victory powered by Nahid Rana’s fiery spell of 5/40, Pakistan fans took to the internet to vent their frustrations, with much of the criticism directed at Shan Masood’s captaincy.Pakistan were still in the game heading into the final session and chasing 268 runs, largely due to debutant Abdullah Fazal, who scored 66 under pressure. He also forged a vital partnership with Salman Ali Agha to keep Pakistan’s hopes alive.However, Bangladesh turned the tables immediately after tea. Veteran spinner Tejul Islam dismissed Fazal through a successful review and then Taskin Ahmed dismissed Salman in the next over.

Bangladesh vs Pakistan Test at home

Then, Nasheed Rana tore apart Pakistan’s middle and lower order with a sensational burst. He dismissed Saud Shakir and then hit the stumps with a sharp back-biter before bowling to Mohammad Rizwan.“[On the toss decision] Hindsight is 20/20. We looked at the conditions and we had the best conditions as far as seam bowling is concerned. We had two early wickets. But we didn’t take advantage of that in the first innings and then we didn’t take advantage with the bat,” Masood said after Pakistan’s defeat. “We could have gone for more runs. But in the first innings, with bat and ball, we needed to do better. You can never question our effort, especially when you play Test cricket six months later. Playing Test cricket on a ground like this tells you that when you control the game you have to push the opposition away and we failed to do that,” Masood said. “[The debutants] Very happy. When we drafted them, we drafted them because of the potential they have at this level. Their maturity level is very high. The question for them is can they be consistent in Test cricket? I think they have the potential to do that. When you have the opportunity to prove your authority, we must do so,” he said.With the defeat, Pakistan dropped two places in the latest World Test Championship standings. They were ranked fifth before the tournament, one place above the Indian national cricket team, but dropped to seventh after the defeat.India moved up one spot, while Bangladesh also moved up two places from eighth to sixth after their emphatic win.