As a result of these losses, Pakistan’s prospects of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) final have been significantly reduced.
Former fast bowler Yasir Arafat voiced his frustration with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), stating that the team should prioritize preparation for red-ball matches. Despite this, the PCB has opted to organize the Champions Cup, a tournament featuring one-day matches.
Pakistan are scheduled to host England for a three-match Test series, with the first Test set to begin on October 7 in Multan. The second Test will be held in Karachi from October 15 to 19, while the third and final Test is scheduled for Rawalpindi starting on October 24.
Arafat highlighted the importance of proper preparation ahead of this pivotal series against England.
“Your grey areas have been highlighted. Fitness issues, technique issues, and pitches. Today I heard Jason Gillespie and the high-performance coach are going back to Australia. You are conducting an ODI tournament. These decisions I don’t understand. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is a circus,” Arafat said on YouTube.
“There are jokers in that, and this is a joke. You have a Test series against England coming up, and you are bringing players for ODIs. Shan Masood is saying in a press conference that our players have not played first-class cricket for 1.5 years. You have a big series against England coming up, and you are playing ODIs. This looks like a circus to me. The people who are working are jokers, and their decisions are jokes,” he added.
Reports suggest that the PCB is considering alternative venues, such as Sri Lanka or the United Arab Emirates (UAE), for hosting the Test series against England.
Following the defeat to Bangladesh, Pakistan captain Shan Masood pointed to the lack of experience among domestic cricketers in red-ball cricket as a key factor behind the team’s struggles in Test cricket.
Masood stressed that the limited exposure of domestic players to red-ball cricket had negatively impacted the team’s performance.
“Bangladesh have two players who have played 70-90 Tests (Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahman), and Litton [Das] and Mehidy [Hasan Miraz] have played close to 40. We need the same level of red-ball exposure. Test cricket is the ultimate format of the game. You need experience. We need more Test and red-ball cricket,” Masood said.
“Whatever format you play is the format for which you’ll produce players. You can’t play more T20 cricket and get Test players. You can’t prepare for science and then sit for a maths exam. If you’re being tested for maths, you study maths. To play red-ball cricket, you must play red-ball cricket,” the Pakistan captain added.