Wasim Akram breaks silence on Pakistan's Test series defeat to Bangladesh

Former Pakistan cricketer Wasim Akram slammed the Shan Masood-led team for their lackluster performance in the recent Test series against Bangladesh at home. Wasim Akram said he was “embarrassed” by the whitewash loss despite being in strong positions to win Test matches.

Pakistan lost their first-ever Test to Bangladesh during the series opener. The home team went on to lose the second match and suffered a 0-2 whitewash. Pakistan failed to capitalize on opportunities to win both Tests. Shan Masood has lost all five matches as captain of the Pakistan Test side.

I Was Left Embarrassed At The Way They Have Lost - Wasim Akram

Speaking to AFP, Wasim Akram highlighted Pakistan's failure to capitalize on strong positions in both Tests against Bangladesh. Akram added that the consistent losses on home turf show the poor quality of Pakistan cricket.

“For a former player and captain, and a lover of the game, I was left embarrassed at the way they have lost from good positions. I simply don’t get it,” Akram said.

“It’s a huge setback and our cricket is at a crossroads. We are losing consistently on home turf, and that says a lot about the quality of our cricket,” he added.

Pakistan made strategic errors in both Tests. They declared their first innings at 448/6 in the first Test, and Bangladesh bowled out them for 146 in their second innings. Pakistan allowed Bangladesh to recover from 26/6 to score 262, while Pakistan was dismissed for 172 in their second innings.

Pakistan have not won a Test match at home since their series against South Africa in January 2021. They lost six of their next ten home Tests, and the other four ended in draws. The Men in Green also suffered a whitewash against England. Their last Test series win was in Sri Lanka in July 2023.

Pakistan have slipped to 8th place in the ICC Test rankings, their lowest position since 1965. They were ranked 6th before the series and are now below the West Indies in the latest rankings.

Quality Of Our Cricket Has Gone Down - Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram highlighted that Pakistan doesn’t have backups in case of player injuries or poor form due to the lack of talent in the domestic cricket system. Akram said that the decline in cricket quality is due to insufficient grassroots activity.

"The quality of our cricket has gone down with no grassroots activity, so we do not have proper back-ups. We have a lot to work on. As a cricket nation, we have to be patient, that's the key. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix," said Akram.

The Pakistan team will face a tough challenge ahead with the three-match home Test series against England. Pakistan will host the three Tests in October, with the first set to commence on October 7 in Multan. Before that, the players will compete in the Champions One Day Cup from September 12 to 29.

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