Shan Masood blames pitch and breaks silence on declaration call after Pakistan's humiliating defeat vs Bangladesh

Captain Shan Masood has admitted that Pakistan's decision to not play any frontline spinner in the recently concluded Test against Bangladesh was wrong. The Pakistan captain's comments came after his team suffered a humiliating 10-wicket loss against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi.

Shan Masood became the first-ever Pakistan captain to lose a Test against Bangladesh. Before winning the Rawalpindi Test, Bangladesh had lost 12 of the 13 Tests while drawing the other one against Pakistan. Bangladesh thoroughly dominated the game and went on to create history.

After Pakistan declared their first innings on 448/6, Bangladesh responded by piling up 565 runs. With Pakistan starting the final day on 23/1, the game looked set to end in a draw. However, Bangladesh spinners Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz ran through Pakistan's batting order and helped their team bowl out the hosts for just 146 runs.

Mehidy picked up 4 wickets while Shakib claimed 3 wickets. Set a target of just 30 runs, Bangladesh chased down the total in less than 7 overs without losing a wicket.

Pakistan's humiliating defeat has put the team management under the scanner as the captain and the coaches are facing criticism for not including a single frontline spinner in the playing eleven. Shan Masood was asked the same question during the post-match presentation ceremony.

In reply, the Pakistan captain did not beat around the bush and admitted that the team management made a mistake. At the same time, he also mentioned the reason behind the team's decision not to pick any spinner in the team. He also said that the hosts were expecting the pitch to be more favorable for their attack.

"Never to make it an excuse, it (the pitch) didn't play the way we thought it would. Also the weather it had been around in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, it rained around 8-9 days before the first day of play," said Shan Masood.

"Firstly looking at the pitch, we expected it to do it a bit more. With three pace bowlers, they were gonna be pushed to the limit. At the end of the day, we got it wrong," he added.

We wanted to push the game forward: Shan Masood

Pakistan are also facing criticism for their decision to declare their first innings on 448/6. Speaking about the decision, Shan Masood said that the hosts wanted to take the game forward. He concluded by admitting that Pakistan did make a number of mistakes in the game and said that the team would have to do better in the following game.

"Hindsight, looking at the declaration, we wanted to push the game forward. Also with the ball and in the field, we could have done better to keep them at par. It's a misconception, with the way it was it was going to take a lot," said Shan Masood.

"A lot can happen under pressure. There have been mistakes and we have to do better when we play next. There's always room for a spinner, we lost Aamer Jamal who does well with both bat and ball.

"In Sydney, Sajid Khan played, going with four pacers didn't work in this game. There has been different pitches produced, it's a huge lesson for us what to expect from our own conditions. The key is to consider the conditions and not make the same mistakes we have made here," he added.

Pakistan will now be looking to win the second and final Test against Bangladesh to avoid a first-ever series defeat against them. Shan Masood will also be desperate to win the upcoming game to register his first win as Pakistan captain. He has lost all 4 Tests since being appointed the captain last year.