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Bangladesh rocked Pakistan in the 2-match Test series. The tiger brigade outclassed the visitors, the Pakistan cricket team, in both of the matches. The Men in Green find themselves on the wrong foot again and facing many unanswered questions. Former international cricketer Ramiz Raja is furious over the performance of the Pakistan cricket team.
He blamed the skipper, Shan Masood, as well as the whole selection process for the 0-2 result. The former cricketer reckoned that changes were needed to get the team back on the right track.
Ramiz Raja blames the Pakistan captain for the poor result against Bangladesh
Ramiz Raja points out that because of the same mistakes on repeated occasions, the team remains in the slum.
“We have to bring some changes. How many times will you bounce back? How many times will you stand up again? Because the mistakes are the same. The problem with Shahan Masood is that the way he picks, playing 11, I can't see how he will win,” Raja raised his concerns.
The 63-year-old raised questions over the team’s strategy as well when they were chasing a total in the second innings at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. To win the match and to level the 2-match Test series, Pakistan needed to score 437 runs in the second innings. Shan Masood, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Rizwan, and Babar Azam added significant runs on the scoreboard.
Lack of team performance?
Rizwan played a 94-run knock as well. Despite the efforts, Bangladesh won the match by 78 runs. The former cricketer claims that the batters might have performed because of individual causes, not for the team’s cause.
When Rizwan was in the middle, the tail ender was often going uncovered, and the Bangladesh bowlers utilised the chances. Raja feels that the late collapse because of lack of a clear strategy.
“But if I am the captain, I will see who will be my match winner. Who will outdo Shanto? Or who will bat well against Naheed Rana? For example, when Rizwan was batting, he was playing with the tail-enders. It felt like it was his individual plan. It's not the team's plan to protect the tail-enders,” Ramiz Raja mentioned.
Ramiz Raja advises PCB to take a break
Ramiz Raja further believes that the Mohsin Naqvi-led Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should take a break to reconstruct a fresh plan to improve the team.
“Look at the situation. What's wrong? Is it because of the batsmen? Is it because of the bowlers? Or is it because of the captain? Which players do you have on the bench? Are they being used or not? What's the atmosphere? What's the environment? Are the players operating on an individual level or on a collective level? And are the big names giving you results or not? And how long do you have to run them?” the former cricketer raises a bunch of questions to the PCB.
Read More: Shan Masood resigns as Pakistan Test captain after Bangladesh humiliation
