Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali strongly criticized captain Shan Masood following Pakistan’s 0-2 Test series whitewash by Bangladesh on home soil. After a historic first Test defeat in Rawalpindi by 10 wickets, Pakistan succumbed to another demoralizing loss by six wickets in the second Test at the same venue, marking their first-ever series loss to Bangladesh.
In the first innings of the second Test, Pakistan appeared to have the game under control, reducing Bangladesh to 26/6. However, a remarkable partnership between Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz turned the match around. Litton scored a brilliant 138, becoming the first Bangladeshi to hit two Test centuries against Pakistan, while Mehidy contributed 78. Their crucial 165-run partnership for the seventh wicket propelled Bangladesh to a total of 262, which ultimately proved decisive.
Basit Ali did not hold back in his assessment, blaming Masood’s captaincy for allowing the Litton-Mehidy partnership to flourish. He labeled Pakistan’s performance in the second Test as ‘third class’ and pointed to Masood’s leadership as a significant factor in the team’s defeat.
Basit Ali said on his YouTube channel, “It was a third-class performance. Pakistan lost the Test match due to captaincy. Captaincy played a key role in the way Litton Das and Mehidy performed after 26/6. There is no need for surgery. The Pakistan team has done surgery on themselves. Mohsin Naqvi should think about this. In the past six months, Pakistan has lost two big events.”
Since Shan Masood replaced Babar Azam as Pakistan’s Test captain late last year, the team has lost all five Test matches under his leadership. His first series as captain was in Australia, where Pakistan was comprehensively beaten in all three Tests.
