Pakistan Suffers a Terrible Loss Against Bangladesh in a Two-Match Test Series

Cricket fans, especially those from South Asia, were highly expecting to spectate the test matches between Pakistan and Bangladesh. The home team entered the two-test match as ultimate favourites, but Bangladesh came victorious on both occasions.

This surprises everyone in the world of cricket, including the bookmakers. Pakistan hit rock bottom with these losses, which accumulated to 6 defeats in their past 10 home test matches. These results even angered the Pakistan cricket legends as well as the millions of fans at home.

How the Two Test Matches Affected Pakistan and the Sports Betting Sites

The first Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh took place on August 21st. Bookmakers and cricket experts saw Pakistan as the favourite in this match. But, little did they know that this team was far away from the legendary cricketers that this country once had.

Bangladesh snapped the victory with 10 wickets. This was the country’s first-ever test win over Pakistan, which made the win even sweeter. The home team looked like amateurs compared to the underdogs.

This loss has certainly set off the alarm in the Pakistan team. After the match, they announced big changes ahead of the second test match. This time, everyone thought that Pakistan would bounce back and take revenge on Bangladesh for the humiliating loss.

The second match took place on August 30th and Pakistan once again had the backing of the fans and bettors. However, the very same thing happened again as Bangladesh once again proved much better than Pakistan. In the second test match, the home team lost by 6 wickets.

Losing back-to-back matches to Bangladesh seriously angered the Pakistan fans. The only ones who were happy with these results were the away fans as well as the sports betting establishments. Every sportsbook made a profit on this match as the majority backed Pakistan in both test matches.

Pakistan Legends Criticize the National Cricket Team

After hitting rock bottom on two occasions, many fans and experts addressed their disappointment. Among them were several Pakistan cricket legends who didn't hold back in their criticisms.

Javed Miandad, a former Test captain, said that seeing their circuit at this stage is very hurting. The way their batting collapsed is something Miandad sees as a bad sign. He also pointed out that Bangladesh deserved all the credit for their amazing disciplined performances.

But, the former Pakistan captain didn’t just blame the players. He also pointed a finger at the board (PCB) and everything that happened there in the past one and a half years. Miandad these occurrences as well as the changes in management and captaincy have seriously affected the team.

Inzamam-ul-Haq, a former Pakistan skipper, noted that the Test series was always their chance to beat the best teams. But, according to him, for this to happen, the batsmen must make the needed runs.

A former Test batter for the Pakistan team, Ahmed Shehzad, also criticized the batsmen. He stated that the future isn't bright if they cannot handle a bit of pace and movement even on a home pitch.

The record-breaking Pakistan batsman, Younis Khan, pointed out the mental challenges that come during a losing streak. He believes the team needs a clear mind and mental strengthening to go past this crisis.

Iqbal Qasim, a former Pakistan Test spinner, said that the team doesn't have quality bowlers. As a result, the team is mostly relying on spinners to win the Test matches. Qasim urged the team management to take care of current and new emerging spin bowlers.

The Pakistan Cricket Crisis Since 2022

Every cricket fan knows how good Pakistan was not so long ago. Its national cricket team won the 1992 World Cup, the 2009 T20 World Cup, the 2017 Champions Trophy, and a few more. But, it seems like everything changed when they lost the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup finals in 2022.

Since then, the team played 12 Test matches, winning only 2, losing 8, and drawing 2. In 25 ODI matches, Pakistan won 14, lost 10, and featured a no result in one match.

As for the T20 matches, the team appeared in 54 matches and won only 24 of them. They've lost a total of 26, drawn one, and failed to get a result in 2 matches.

In late 2022, the federal government Ramiz Raja, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Three chairmen have been running the country's cricket-ruling body since then. Each of them brought in numerous changes in the board and the national team.

It's worth mentioning that the board appointed 7 different coaches so far. Each coach brought in different ideas which took time to implement, but the board didn't have any patience. The change in captaincy also affected the team after the resignation of all-format captain Babar Azam.