'This clearly shows...': Shahid Afridi rips apart PCB, Team Pakistan after embarrassing loss to Bangladesh

Pakistan National Cricket Team legend Shahid Afridi was left furious after the defeat of the Shan Masood-led side in the first Test of the two-match series against Bangladesh National Cricket Team at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

The hosts displayed an extremely poor performance both with bat and ball and faced an embarrassing 10-wicket loss at the hands of the Bangla Tigers.

Pakistan made plenty of blunders in the match, starting with the pitch preparation. PCB prepared a green-top pitch for the game, and after reading the surface, the team management fielded a 4-man pace attack, leaving sole spinner Abrar Ahmed out of the team.

This decision backfired as the surface didn't provide any support to the pace bowlers, and on day 5, the Bangladesh spinners dominated. Another major blunder made by Shan Masood & Co. was declaring the innings after scoring 448 for 6.

It played a major part in Pakistan's defeat as Bangladesh got extra time to bat, which they used very well, and piled up 565 runs to take a good lead that kept Pakistan under pressure.

A 10-wicket defeat raises serious questions - Shahid Afridi

After the conclusion of the match, Shahid Afridi took to his official X handle to blast the Pakistan team management and PCB for lack of awareness of home conditions.

Afridi said that the awful defeat of Pakistan raises serious questions about the pitch preparation as well as team selection. He also lauded the Bangla Tigers for playing a great brand of cricket throughout the match.

"A 10-wicket defeat raises serious questions about the decision to prepare this type of pitch, select four fast bowlers, and leave out a specialist spinner. This, to me, clearly shows a lack of awareness about home conditions. That said, you cannot take the credit away from Bangladesh for the brand of cricket they played throughout the Test," Afridi stated.

A 10-wicket defeat raises serious questions about the decision to prepare this type of pitch, select four fast bowlers and leave out a specialist spinner. This to me clearly shows a lack of awareness about home conditions. That said, you cannot take the credit away from…

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) August 25, 2024

Shahid Afridi was not the only Pakistan cricketer who openly expressed his disappointment over the defeat of the team as Fawad Alam also took to X to blast the Pakistan team and label the defeat as unacceptable.

"Unacceptable! Is Pakistan cricket going forward or backwards, is this what we call progression? Congratulations Bangladesh, well deserved," Fawad Alam wrote on X.

Unacceptable! Is Pakistan cricket going forward or backwards, is this what we call progression?

Congratulations Bangladesh, well deserved 👍🏼#PAKvBAN

— Fawad Alam (@iamfawadalam25) August 25, 2024

Former Pakistan National Cricket Team pacer Abdur Rauf also launched a scathing attack on the PCB management for being ignorant about matters of cricket in the country. He slammed Shan Masood, Jason Gillespie, and the entire coaching staff for failing to read to the pitch properly and making a wrong team selection.

"PCB management and think tank is completely ignorant about the matters of cricket. They failed to prepare the pitch, failed to read the pitch, failed in team selection, failed to make plan and execution and now brought Pakistan at the brink of defeat in First Test match," Rauf asserted.

PCB management and think tank is completely ignorant about the matters of cricket.They failed to prepare the pitch,failed to read the pitch,failed in team selection, failed to make plan and execution and now brought Pakistan at the brink of defeat in First Test match.

— Abdur Rouf Khan (@AbdurRoufKhan6) August 25, 2024

In a tweet shared after the end of the match, Rauf even called Pakistan a fraud and corrupt cricket board.

"The end result of every fraudulent, corrupt, recommender and uneducated organization is the same as the Pakistan Cricket Board," he wrote.

ہر فراڈ دھوکہ باز کرپٹ سفارشی اور غیرتعلیم یافتہ ادارے کا end result یہی نکلتا ہے جو پاکستان کرکٹ بورڈ کا نکل رہا ہے.

— Abdur Rouf Khan (@AbdurRoufKhan6) August 25, 2024