Islamabad, Aug 26: After Pakistan’s cricket team lost to Bangladesh in the opening Test match at Rawalpindi, former captain Ramiz Raja expressed his deep dissatisfaction with the team’s performance. Raja penned a harsh criticism of the team’s tactics and performance on his YouTube channel. He specifically took issue with the choice to field five fast bowlers without a spinner.
Concerning Shan Masood’s captaincy in particular, Raja brought up the team’s current losing run. While difficulties in Australian circumstances were understood, he stressed that losing at home against a side like Bangladesh exposed grave problems with accurately assessing the environment.
Shan Masood is presently experiencing a run of bad luck. You did not read the conditions well, which is why you are now losing at home against a team like Bangladesh, Raja said. He said, “Neither did the batters apply themselves, and the bowlers were awful,” speaking equally poorly of the batting and bowling teams. Masood needs to show that he understands the game better and work on his batting.
Raja cautioned that if Masood’s performance doesn’t improve, his place on the team might be in jeopardy. The team’s morale takes a serious hit when they lose. There would be a lot of criticism and animosity in the dressing room following a series loss, he continued.
Raja brought attention to a more serious problem when he pointed out that Pakistan’s reliance on fast bowlers backfired and that their declining effectiveness was caused by a crisis of confidence that started during the Asia Cup. During the Rawalpindi Test, he observed a concerning decline in Pakistan’s pacers’ speed and technique, comparing them negatively to Bangladesh’s more incisive bowlers.
