Former captain Ramiz Raja criticised Pakistan’s fast bowlers for their failures in international cricket, angry over his team’s 10-wicket loss to Bangladesh in Rawalpindi.

Pakistan failed to challenge the Bangladeshi players in the first Test of the two-match series on Sunday, August 25. It was Pakistan’s first defeat against Bangladesh in the red-ball format. The hosts opted for an all-pace attack, which turned out to be a wrong decision as the Bangladeshi spinners took many wickets.

The Shan Masood-led team scored 448 in the first innings with Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel scoring hundreds. Bangladesh scored 565 in reply. Pakistani pacers took a total of nine wickets but conceded 351 runs. Agha Salman, who was used as a spinner, gave away 136 runs.

Raja was surprised that the management decided to attack Bangladesh with only fast bowlers and said the decision backfired. He further said that India exposed the weaknesses in the fast bowling department in the Asia Cup 2023.

“Pakistan’s reputation as a fast bowler is over. The problem started in the 2023 Asia Cup when the Indian batters were devastating the bowlers in friendly conditions. The whole world has learned that Pakistani bowlers lose their confidence when they are attacked,” Raja said.

The Men in Blue scored 356/2 after Virat Kohli and KL Rahul hit hundreds in Colombo last year, while Pakistan were dismissed for 128.

“The pace has dropped and the skills are not there. Bangladesh seamers have been more effective. Our bowlers are looking for fun and creating drama after taking a batter out rather than building their reputation through performance,” Raja added.

Bangladesh spinners were great in the first Test

The Rawalpindi pitch was of no help to the Pakistani pacers as they failed to trouble the Bangladeshi batters. The absence of a specialist spinner proved costly as Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz took seven wickets between them in the second innings as Pakistan managed just 146.

Legendary Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi also questioned the decision to play the Test without a spinner. He praised Bangladesh for their performance.

“A 10-wicket loss raises serious questions about the decision to prepare this kind of pitch, selecting four fast bowlers and leaving out a specialist spinner. This, in my opinion, clearly shows a lack of awareness of the conditions at home. Nevertheless, one cannot take away credit from Bangladesh for the kind of cricket they played throughout the Test,” he wrote on X.

The second and final test between the two Asian teams begins on August 30.

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