Pakistan suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Bangladesh in Mirpur, Dhaka as the hosts outplayed them in all facets of the game to take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series. Pakistan were awful with the bat and after that it was a matter of time as they looked flat with the ball as well to let their ODI game get exposed. It seemed they were a bit off playing this game. They started off on a promising note but then fell away.
We will try and analyse three reasons for their loss against Bangladesh in this first ODI.
Losing 9/41 in the middle phase from overs 9.6-23.5 sealed the fate of Pakistan
Pakistan were put into bat first by Bangladesh and the side had 4 debutants. Two of them in Sahibzada Farhan and Maaz Sadaqat opened the batting for the Men in Green. The duo gave Pakistan a steady start as they played to the merit of the ball while Bangladesh bowled decently. They put on 41 for the first wicket in 9.5 overs but at the stroke of the end of the first powerplay, Farhan fell to Nahid Rana as the score was still a decent 41/1 in 10 overs.
But this breakthrough opened the floodgates as Bangladesh just ran through Pakistan who fell like a pack of cards. Soon, another debutant Shamyl Hussain fell with 6 runs added to the tally. Sadaqat himself fell as wickets fell at regular intervals. Experienced campaigner Mohammad Rizwan too could not get going and Salman Ali Agha fell with Rana blowing the top order by picking the first five wickets to complete his five-wicket haul.
Thereafter, the procession continued as Mehidy Hasan Miraz got into the act and taking the next 3 wickets as Abdul Samad, Hussain Talat and captain Shaheen Afridi fell while Wasim Jnr was also picked by Taskin Ahmed. Pakistan had slipped to 82/9 through poor shot selection and inability to handle pace bowling of Rana. The game was done here only. Yes, Faheem showed resistance and added 32 runs for the last wicket to take Pakistan to 114. But the game was gone.
It is an understatement when we say that Pakistan has to up their game and improve their game by leaps and bounds especially batting if they wish to stage a comeback in this series. Otherwise, Bangladesh will seal yet another home series against Pakistan.
Conceding 1/81 in first powerplay of 10 overs sealed their fate even more
As if the batting performance was abysmal, the bowling would have hoped to show some fight and push Bangladesh a little bit. But it was anything but that. Pakistan were flat with the ball as they tried too many things and gifted away runs for free to the Bangladesh batters. Wides were given like hot chocolates as the opening bowlers Shaheen Afridi and Faheem Ashraf was guilty in miss the lines and lengths required to bowl.
Thereafter, although Afridi got rid of Saif Hassan early, there was no scoreboard pressure and the loose balls came at will. The duo of Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto took full advantage of it and played the bowling to the merit and too many loose balls were delivered by the bowling group. Pakistan looked like they were also in a hurry to return to the hotel room and were resigned to their fate when they came out to bowl. The fight was missing which was sad to see.
Looking ahead, Pakistan needs to show fighting spirit with the ball and be more incisive and clinical with their bowling effort. Yes, we agree that the score was paltry, but some fight was ought to be shown by the bowling group. That was missing and this must have hurt the Pakistani fans. If the Men in Green aspire to fight back and level the series on Friday, then they have to perform in all cylinders as Bangladesh will be a hard side to beat at home.
Selection Blunders of picking too many debutants hurt Pakistan
Pakistan went with a gamble in this match and series. They picked 6 debutants in the squad and made sure 4 of them make their debut in this particular game. So, with no experience within their ranks, a disaster was bound to happen and they got exposed by Bangladesh in more ways than one. Out of the 4 players, three debutants occupied the top three. This was a recipe for disaster in these challenging conditions.
Yes, if the pitch was flat, we could have understood. But with conditions expected to favour bowlers, Pakistan lacked experience in the top order. The inability to handle the pace of Nahid Rana was in full view for all to see. The hard short of a length balls were just pulled and hit to the fielders. It was about gifting wickets away. Sahibzada Farhan still had some form with himself and looked decent, but the others were just put into the cauldron. Whether it was Maaz Sadaqat, Shamyl Hussain and later Abdul Samad, they looked at sea against Bangladesh bowling.
Going ahead, Pakistan might need to shuffle the batting a wee bit. To break the top 3 inexperience line-up, maybe promote Mohammad Rizwan at 3 and break the inexperienced pair. Rizwan has opened in the past but maybe Number 3 could be suitable to him. Plus playing proper pace bowling will be important and key for Pakistan going forward. They need to forget this game and think of a comeback in the upcoming games.
What Lies Ahead
So, Bangladesh are up 1-0 in the series and would like to seal the series with the win on Friday while Pakistan will be desperate for a bounce back in the series. The stage is set then for Friday, the 13th of March for the second ODI between these two giants of World and Asia Cricket to collide in Mirpur, Dhaka. Who will come out on top on Friday? Only time will tell.
Also Read:Â BAN VS PAK: Nahid Rana Helps Bangladesh Draw 1st Blood In Series.