Kevin Pietersen expresses concern over Pakistan cricket's decline
What's the story
Former England batter Kevin Pietersen has expressed his shock at the recent decline of Pakistan's performance in international cricket. His statement comes after Pakistan's shock defeat to Bangladesh in the 1st Test held in Rawalpindi. The loss marked a historic moment as it was Bangladesh's maiden Test victory over Pakistan, after 14 previous attempts. Both teams were docked ICC World Test Championship points for slow over-rate thereafter.
Concerns raised
Pietersen questions current state of Pakistan cricket
Pietersen voiced his concerns on social media, questioning the current state of cricket in Pakistan. He reminisced about his time playing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), praising the high standards and work ethic of the players. "What happened to cricket in Pakistan? When I played the PSL, the standard of that league was tremendous," wrote Pietersen on X.
Summary
Bangladesh's spinners dominate Pakistan in historic win
Pakistan declared at 448/6 after they were invited to bat in Rawalpindi. Saim Ayub (56) and Saud Shakeel (141) rescued Pakistan after they were reduced to 16/3. Mohammad Rizwan's 171* later powered the hosts. Bangladesh responded with a mammoth 565, with Mushfiqur Rahim scoring 191. Shadman Islam (93), Litton Das (56) and Mehidy Hasan (77) registered fifties. Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy dented Pakistan's second innings. Although Rizwan's 51 avoided an innings defeat for Pakistan, Bangladesh aced the final day.
Performance
Pakistan's recent struggles in international cricket
The defeat to Bangladesh is the latest in a series of disappointing performances by Pakistan. They were eliminated from the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup 2024 after defeats to USA and India. Prior to this, they suffered a 0-2 defeat in a T20I series against England and drew a five-match series 2-2 with New Zealand's second-string team. They also lost a T20I to Ireland earlier this year.