For most of that Test match, Pakistan’s biggest frustration seemed to be that they would end up playing a draw, a draw would hamper their efforts, which captain Shan Masood talked about during the build-up, having a real role in reaching the World. Test Championship (WTC) final. Five days later, Pakistan would lose, and to add insult to injury, half a dozen points were suspended due to slow ratings, placing them very close to the bottom of the table. A home series defeat to Bangladesh will bring its own embarrassment, which has nothing to do with the fact that they are in the race to prove themselves as the best Test team in the world. Bangladesh, until last week, had won just six Tests in a quarter century of being Full Members, two against the defunct West Indies in 2009, and the other two against Zimbabwe.
Masood finds himself in a battle for captaincy shortly after taking over, having lost the four Tests he was in charge of. While the lack of quality against Australia in the winter means that the overall result may be overlooked in favor of the long-term plan, such forgiveness will not come when Pakistan drops the home series against Bangladesh. As there is a busy time that will include the difficult challenges of England and South Africa, to ensure that they avoid giving away the Test trophy next week, it remains for this team with the red ball to remain loyal to their supporters.
That work is complicated by the weather of Rawalpindi as well. Rain forced the cancellation of practice sessions the night before the game, with more in the forecast for the first day. This led Pakistan to hesitate before officially confirming a spinner for the Test, naming a 12-man squad with Abrar Ahmed and Mir Hamza both in contention. Masood pointed out that Pakistan were the most effective last week, and with Bangladesh just needing a draw, his team will have to find a way to repeat that while ensuring they get a better result.
And what can you really say about the position Bangladesh has built for itself? Najmul Hossain Shanto’s team played well and picked the athletes, doing the basics well. Like making sure they have spinners in case they come good on the last day, they do. Or not leaving expires by announcing ahead of time because of the unrealistic concern that it might rain, which it didn’t. They let Pakistan’s wobbles do the rest, and the ten-wicket victory was as critical as it should have been.
There are important things going on at home, but the uncomplicated joy of last week was unexpectedly welcome. This, mind you, is not the Bangladeshi side of the past, and it did not live up to expectations. They came in last week, saw the opponent make unforced errors and it didn’t bother them. They weren’t forced into playing aggressive cricket, or bullied into doing anything they didn’t want to do. They had no qualms about scoring less than three runs an over for large parts of the first innings, and when Pakistan resorted to declaration bowling, they were untroubled.
It secured Bangladesh arguably their biggest ever Test win, but they will know they need to stop the wild celebrations for now. With one Test looming and no clear signs of Pakistan being able to produce the pitch they want, Bangladesh may have to pick up where they left off in the first Test. Pakistan must do everything, and as Bangladesh has shown, it will not be easily dismissed.
Form guide
Pakistan: LLLLW (last five matches completed, most recent) Bangladesh: WLLLW
Highlights: Babar Azam and Mushfiqur Rahim
Babar Azam’s decline in the team’s well-matched Test form has worsened. Pakistan are used to dry patches and out-of-form players, but it is not clear why this generation’s batsman is now struggling to achieve the big scores that have come so easily to him. There is no particular type of bowling or type of shooting that has affected him and he has no other duties as he has been released from the belt. Babar fell to two unforced errors in the first Test, a pinch leg side and a drive without footwork. A home run on a relatively flat surface against Bangladesh seemed like a no-brainer, and now he has one Test to try and put that right.
Mushfiqur Rahim played the role of a great batsman in the first Test. He used his strong defensive style to good effect during the three-partnership period which allowed the batsmen on the other side to operate with more freedom. Shadman Islam only opened his 52-run stand with Mushfiqur, and Litton Das finally showed some form, after Mushfiqur allowed him to hit his way. Mehidy Hasan Miraz continued to shine with his batting mentor, playing 178 balls in his innings. Mushfiqur continuing this role is bad news for Pakistan.
Team news: Taskin in, Nahid out?
Shaheen Afridi has been left out of the squad for the second Test, with Abrar and Hamza part of the 12-man squad announced by Pakistan.
Pakistan: 1 Abdullah Shafique, 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Shan Masood (capt), 4 Babar Azam, 5 Saud Shakeel, 6 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 7 Salman Ali Agha, 8 Abrar Ahmed/Mir Hamza, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Mohammad Ali, 11 Khurram Shahzad
Fast bowler Taskin Ahmed is back, and should replace Nahid Rana. Having secured their only major Test win, Bangladesh are unlikely to make any further changes.
Bangladesh: Shadman Islam, 2 Zakir Hasan, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), 4 Mominul Haque, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Litton Das (wk), 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Shoriful Islam, 10 Hasan Mahmud, 11 Taskin Ahmed
Conditions: Rain on the radar
Pakistan made no secret of their desire for a friendly wicket, even though it was difficult to achieve in the first Test. There will be more than grass on this new stadium, but torrential rain has lashed the city in the days since the end of the first test. More rain is predicted during the game.
Maths and trivia: Babar’s descent
Mushfiqur, who was named Man of the Match in the first Test, is the only Bangladesh player to have played in all seven away Test matches for his nation.
Since the start of 2023, Babar averages 21.15 in 13 Test innings with a high score of 41
Quotes
“We hate to make a decision [on who to play] at higher prices. Our passing rates were good for the first test and were not acceptable. We need to be better and finish our overs quickly. Our objections tend to call for gloves and drinks on regular occasions so we need to remember that but we cannot control that. What we can do is control our energy levels and make sure we get through our overs as quickly as possible.” Red football coach in Pakistan Jason Gillespie he wants his side to dominate things during the second Test
Danyal Rasool is ESPNcricinfo’s Pakistan correspondent. @Danny61000
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